Is It Wrong To Crawl My Way Back Home, One Dungeon Floor At A Time?
by Anco
Summary: Taking a walk through the forest turned out to have some unforeseen consequences. A city full of Adventurers and Gods along with a Dungeon full of Monsters that can easily kill me stand between me and going back home. At least I have this 'Gamer Mode' thing to help me out.
1. Chapter 1

**Is it wrong to crawl my way back home, one dungeon floor at a time?**

**.**

* * *

My eyes snap open. The first red rays of the Sun peek outside, shining through my thin dirty window and into my small dusty room. It takes a moment to adjust my eyes to the low light of the morning and I see something hanging above me.

**[Good morning! Because you've slept in a bed that you own, your HP and MP have-!]**

I swipe my hand across the cobalt blue screen that hangs over me and it fizzles out of existence. I quickly sit up on my creaky wooden bed and give my surroundings a look over.

It was a small room. Could barely fit my bed, a wardrobe and a desk with a chair. It wasn't clean either. Almost every surface besides my bed covers is covered in a thick layer of dust and every breath I had felt heavy and musky.

That's more my fault though. I don't bother cleaning and this place was cheap, after some haggling.

It's not like I plan to stay long enough to care anyway.

Like every other morning, I look over my room and find everything as it's supposed to be. No one had come in the middle of the night to steal anything, but it's not like there's anything to steal. I don't keep anything important outside of my inventory anyway.

With that out of the way, I stress my ears and I could hear some footsteps outside my room along with some high pitch chatter. Nothing out of the ordinary, just the girls probably getting to work.

"Stats."

Just as soon as the word leaves my mouth, a cobalt blue screen like before pops up into existence before my very eyes. With a big title that says **Stats **and containing a set of big, bold numbers and words:

**Name: NA.**

**Alias: John.**

**Level: 1**

**HP: 60**

**MP: 120**

**STR: 14**

**END: 12**

**AGI: 9**

**WIS: 24**

So that still works, unfortunately.

Rubbing my face, I let out a sigh as my shoulders sag. I open my mouth and say:

"Traits."

The blue screen stays the same, but the words shift and sway until the **Stats **title is replaced with **Traits **and the sets of numbers and letters are gone and in their place are lines of bold white text with a single trait:

**[Outsider: You, who came from nothing and will return to nothing, are emancipated. The Gods hold no sway over you. Their words, empty. Their powers, meaningless. Their appearances, worthless.]**

Weird to think that Gods exist here, but I haven't met one yet so it's not like this does a whole lot for me. Suddenly finding myself in a different world for no reason kinda makes a person open up to a lot of possibilities.

And I hope I never meet one either. I know for a fact that the 'Loki Familia' is a thing here and I really don't want to meet the man that fathered Fenrir of all things.

Or any of the Greek Gods. _Especially _the Greek Gods.

The whole 'no soul' thing is a bit worrying honestly but considering everything else that has happened to me during the days I've been here, I'm not going to lose sleep over it.

My Stats and Traits haven't changed so I doubt my Spells have either so no point checking those.

Just one last thing to check then.

"Objective."

As the word leaves my mouth, I can feel my chest tighten and shoulders set. My heart hammers against my chest like a rabid animal in a cage and my eyes zero in on the blue screen.

Like before, the blue screen shifts and changes until the lines of text are replaced with a single box of text.

**[Welcome to the world of Danmachi! A world of Gods, women and adventure! Sometimes all three together! 'Why am I here?! What about back home?! How did I get here!?' I hear you asking and more. Let me answer those for you!**

**Who cares! You're here now and that's all that matters! The taste of adventure, the tale of Gods and maybe even the possibility of having a woman or two by your side and in your bed! All of that and more can be yours! With the help of this 'Gamer Mode' you don't have to sweat about the small stuff like food or drink!**

**But...if you're that boring of a person and want to go home, well, that's easy:**

**Just reach the end of the Dungeon.]**

Of course that hasn't changed. Why would it? I feel my hammering heart rate drops like an anvil and my shoulders go back to their sad sagging state.

I still have no idea what a 'Danmachi' is. It sounds like something you eat, but I'm renting out a room in a pub and no one here has heard of it.

I swipe my hand across the cobalt blue screen and push myself off my bed. Just in case, I give myself a look over, making sure my clothes are all in the right order.

Not like anything I met could damage them though.

Trousers, a black hoodie and steel toe capped boots are what I wore when I…'arrived' here and what I wore when I go to sleep. The only things that I own from home.

My heavy boots make a deep thudding noise against the creaky floorboards as I make my way to my door. Taking out the key in my hoodie's pouch, I unlock the door. I walk through the door into an empty hallway and securely lock the door behind me, giving it a few tugs to see that it doesn't open.

My room secured and locked, I take a deep breath as I prepare myself to face the rest of the day.

Time to crawl.

.

* * *

.

Loud thunks of wood meeting my boots could be heard as I step down the stairs and I hear the chatter of the waitresses coming from inside the kitchen along with the clatter of dishes being washed.

They could probably hear my heavy footsteps, but it wasn't like I was trying to be sneaky or anything. Maybe I could just leave without-

A head of light grey, almost silver, hair pops around the corner to look at me with a wide smile, her eyes, same shade as her hair, crinkle up with her smile.

"Good morning, John! Up early as always, huh?"

Oh goddamnit.

"Good morning, Syr," I give her a polite nod and I make my way to the bottom of the stairs, "It's not like I'm getting anything done by staying in my room, so I thought of going for a walk."

Not technically a lie. I do indeed walk in the Dungeon.

Well, I run mostly but I sometimes walk.

"A walk?" Syr says with a frown, probably expecting my usual answer, "You're not going to the Dungeon today?"

"I have enough Valis for this month's rent. I don't have a lot planned for today, so I'm going to spend it doing what I want."

Syr's eyes widen for a moment and I make my way past her-

Before she fully jumps out in front of me, wearing her green waitress uniform with a white frilly apron on the front.

And with what I could only call a conniving yet genuine smile.

"Well, in that case, there's no hurry for you to leave, is there?"

Oh no.

I can see a certain elf with dyed green hair along with a certain girl with a pair of cat ears and tail start to look at the both of us, one with a wide grin and the other with a stoic stare. Both of them were working behind Syr, cleaning and setting up tables.

"If you wait for just a minute, I can make some breakfast for you! It wouldn't be proper to have a guest of ours leave on an empty stomach! Or...do you not like my cooking?" She punctuates the end of the statement by looking up to me with a surprisingly convincing timid stare, complete with quivering lips.

Every morning, like clockwork. I get up, Syr finds me somehow and tries to either guilt trip me or convince me to eat something.

Which makes sense, given how we first met.

After a day or two of being homeless and Dungeon crawling, I had enough money or Valis as it's called here, to hopefully rent a place for a bit so I wouldn't sleep outside in a dirty alleyway again.

Cue Syr running up to me and saying that I've dropped a magic stone.

Which was complete bullshit as all my magic stones that I don't exchange for Valis are kept safely in my inventory and I know for a fact nothing goes in or out without me knowing about it.

But, hey. A free magic stone which basically means free Valis. I took it from her with a quick 'thank you' and went on my merry way with an extra magic stone in my pocket.

Or I should have if I didn't have a waitress chasing after me.

She started to shill her workplace to me, saying such things like how nice it would be for me to visit and basically trying to con me into paying her pub lots of money for food and drinks because she did a good deed.

It was honestly adorable.

Too bad for her I didn't care.

I explained to her, in no uncertain terms, that I see through her bullshit and that I wasn't looking for anything that she was offering and that I needed my money for a place to stay.

God, how I wish I just kept my mouth shut.

After some haggling with the scariest woman I've ever met and laying down some ground rules between me and the waitresses, I found myself the current occupant and rentee of a room in the pub known as the Hostess of Fertility for only 2,000 Valis a month.

It was originally 4,000 with free breakfast and dinner, but I manage to cut it down to half because the food was unneeded despite how good it smelt.

And now, every morning and night, Syr tries to cook me a meal to squeeze more money out of me.

I didn't hate her for it and it's kinda turned into a game at this point. Wanting to make money is hardly evil and I can think of worse ways to con people than to just guilt-trip them and cook them a meal.

And I have to commend her if anything. She is quite cute and I've no doubt she's beguiled a many a man with her feminine wiles like she's trying to do now.

I give her a smile.

"Thank you, Syr-"

Her eyes go wide and her quivering lips are suddenly replaced with a bright smile. She opens her mouth to say something:

"But no. I'm not feeling particularly hungry at the moment."

Syr's hopeful smile smashes into a brittle grin before transforming into a full-on pout with cute puffed up cheeks.

"You should still eat something, John. It isn't healthy to skip breakfast, especially as a new Adventurer, you should do your best to keep up your strength."

A calm voice grabs both of my and Syr's attention and we turn our heads to see a green haired woman with long, pointed ears and wearing the same green outfit as Syr along with a girl with brown cat ears and tail.

"You're not wrong, Ryu but it also isn't healthy to force yourself to eat when you're not hungry. I appreciate your advice, but if I get hungry, I'll-"

"You'll eat in the Dungeon, yes you've told us that already," Ryu interrupts me with a frown, "That still doesn't change the fact you keep skipping out on breakfast."

"Eh, I wouldn't worry about it, Ryu!" The small and energetic cat girl known as Anya Fromel speaks up, pointing at my rotund stomach, "John's gut may be big, but I don't think he could survive Syr's cooking yet!"

Syr looks at Anya, shocked with wide eyes and a gaping mouth, her cheeks starting to flush red. Anya, whether on purpose or by accident, just looks at Syr and me with a silly little smile.

"Anya, I think it would be prudent of you if you didn't insult our guest," Ryu lets out a suffering sigh and gives me an apologetic look which I just gave a shrug.

Honestly, I think she insulted Syr more than me but whatever.

Syr goes to say something, but something stops her. She and her co-workers suddenly look behind me and I feel something heavy and meaty fall upon my shoulder.

"Flirting awfully loud this morning, aren't ya?"

"M-Mama Mia!" Syr squeaks out and I turn my head to come face to face with a stiffly smiling woman with long brown hair and squinting eyes. Her uniform was almost identical to Syr's but it was blue instead of green and her sleeves were rolled up, showing off her thick tree trunk-like arms.

Oh good, now this is happening.

"If this is what you call flirting, I hate to see what a date with you look likes."

I feel Ryu's stare bore into my head while Syr and Anya make some sort of noise that sounds like a mix of squeak and a scream.

"Ha!" Mias' stiff smile gives way to a grin and she lifts her hand off my shoulder, her eyes opening fully to reveal brown eyes that sparkled with amusement, "That mouth of yers is gonna get ya trouble one of these days."

"And girls," I move out of the burly grinning woman as she stands in front of her employees and staring them down, Syr and Anya basically hugging each other while Ryu remains stone-faced, "I hope ya aren't slacking off to bother our guest, now are ya?"

"Of course not, Mama Mia," Ryu bows to Mia, all prim and proper like while Syr and Anya bow as well, though not nearly with as much grace, "It's just that John has refused to eat anything. Again."

"Bah, leave him and get back to work already. If he ain't eating, he ain't eating. It's your job to look after this pub, not try to babysit him."

For a second, I could've sworn that Ryu that glanced at me with a worried look but in a flash, she bows to Mia and drags off her two coworkers to places unknown.

Well I say that, but she's just making them wash the dishes from last night in the kitchen.

Truly, a fate worse than death. Or unemployment.

"So, off for a 'walk' eh?" Mia makes her behind the bar and I make my way towards the double doors, "Hmph, I've heard better lies come from a plastered gnome. Ya off to the Dungeon again."

"Well, I don't see how else I'm going to pay you rent," I turn around to look at Mia wiping down the bar, not bothering to look at me, "Unless you want me to put on an apron and start serving?"

"And when I want to run my pub into the ground, I'll hire ya," Mia lets out an unladylike snort.

Taking her eyes off the bar for a moment, Mia gives me a look that goes straight through me, a chill tingling down my spine.

Mia Grand is a tall woman, about the same height as me at 5.11ft but by god, does she make me feel small sometimes. The first time I met her, she made it crystal clear what would happen to me if I acted untowards her waitresses or made any attempt to seduce them.

Doesn't help that she's built like a shit brick house and had bigger muscles than me. Pretty sure she could suplex me through the floor without much issue. Or worse.

"John, do ya know how much a meal here costs?"

I'm sorry, what?

"Uh…" I couldn't help but look around as if trying to find cameras or maybe someone hiding away like some sort of prank.

I've been in this world for about a week now and I've lived in this pub for about 4 days now without any issues. The first couple of days living in this pub were...cold, to say the least. I think the women here just wanted to see if I would make a move on them or not. After that though, I think they started taking notice of my eating habits or lack thereof. I don't know why they care so much though, it isn't any of their business.

"No? Should I?"

"Hmph," Mia snorts again and shakes her head, going back to rubbing down her bar "If ya have to ask, there's no point. Be careful on your 'walk' now."

"I don't plan to be anything but," I say to her, confused about her attitude but shoving it out of my mind for now.

I put my hood up and walk out to the slowly filling streets of the city known as Orario.

I have some Dungeon crawling to do.

.

* * *

.

With my hands tucked in my hoodie's pouch and my hood up, I probably looked exactly like someone about to run some drugs or sell them to some unknowing adolescents.

Doesn't help that Orario itself is still waking up and the only people out right now are shopkeepers opening up their wares and stores or very early bird risers like me. I feel some stares on me like needles on the back of my neck, but I just ignore it. I don't blame them for staring, hell, I would probably do the same thing.

Orario and I presume the world at large, isn't nearly as advance in technology like my home is, but it's weird. Stuff, like freezing food, lighting lamps or even cooking meals, isn't done with technology like it's done back home but with magic instead. Magic stones to be precise.

So 'technology' in this world isn't so much as electricity, gas or even something simple like a windmill as it is about using magic to create new things.

And in return, instead of the sprawling metropolises of home, you get these large, medieval cities but without people's shit being thrown out of the windows. Though, fashion in this place can be a bit weird although I may have to chalk that up to the city being home to the Dungeon and Adventurers as a result of that.

People at the Guild wear actual suits and I've seen all sorts of people, human or not, wear some pretty outrageous things that can barely be called outfits. Hell, I once saw the most ripped man ever, basically Conan but on drugs, wear literally nothing but a loincloth.

With no pants.

God, what a weird day that was. I still remember Eina trying not to blow her top off at that guy.

So thankfully my clothes don't stand out too much but I suppose it's a bit like uncanny valley. They're normal enough to seem like clothes people would wear but they're not common enough to actually be 'normal'.

Or maybe it's just because I'm walking around like a literal thug and I'm overthinking it.

I take a deep breath of the mild air, a stark contrast to the cold mornings of my home, and slowly let it out through my nose. I look up to see my destination up ahead, spearing towards the sky.

A mighty tower, bigger than anything I've seen, stands tall and proud in the centre of Orario. All roads lead to it as if it pulled everything towards it like some sort of black hole.

The Tower of Babel.

Won't lie, I almost choked to death on my spit when I heard that was actually a thing here and that the Gods had built themselves because they destroyed the other one.

Which made sense. Only something like Gods could make something so unnecessarily big that it didn't collapse in on itself.

Gods.

Not just one God. Plural. Multiple Gods.

From multiple regions nonetheless. I've heard about the 'Loki Familia' who I can only guess is ran by the Norse God of trickery and mischief.

But I've also heard about 'Hephaestus Familia', the _Greek _God of fire, metalworking and forges and even sculpting.

As if that wasn't enough, I once heard a rowdy Adventurer talking about another Familia by the name of _Miach._

Miach, a son of Dian Cécht and a _Celtic _God of healing. So much better than his father, a famous healing God himself, that Miach was able to regrow a severed limb for the king of Gods, Nuadu, whose hand had been cut off in the battle of Mag Tuired which Dian Cécht couldn't do, only able to replace the lost hand with a silver one.

And then Dian Cécht proceeded to kill his own son in a fit of jealousy. Took a couple of tries, but he did it.

Seriously.

I'm torn between actually wanting to speak to a God and wanting to not involve myself with them at all. The stuff they must know, the history they must've been witnessed to…

Of course, I don't know if they would even talk to a 'mortal' or how they actually are, but the thought is there nonetheless.

But my objective takes priority. And if the Gods are anything like from what I've studied back home, it might just be better to avoid them.

The Hostess of Fertility isn't that far away from Babel, where the Dungeon is located and probably the main reason I stayed there including the cheapness of it. It takes about 20 minutes to walk there, maybe less if I hurry. Not as short as I would like, but it beats sleeping in a dirty alleyway at least even if I was sleeping quite literally next to the Dungeon.

A familiar sign up ahead catches my attention. It's one of the shops that I pass by every day on route to the Dungeon.

The sign itself was a simple piece of wood that had an open book engraved onto it with some letter beneath it.

_Thoth's book shop and materials._

Thoth. The Ancient Egyptian God of magic, writing and the moon. One of the wisest Gods of Egypt and so powerful that the Egyptians believe he wrote a book that would make whoever read it the most powerful magician on earth.

That God is having someone run a bookstore in their name.

And not even a big one at that.

Compared to the other stores, this one was almost cute in comparison. Snuggly tugged away between two much larger shops, a smithy and a produce shop. Unlike the other two which had opened upfronts, this one had a single wooden door and two framed windows that had closed purple curtains, stopping me from looking indoors.

I stop for a brief moment as a sudden thought crosses my mind:

What kind of books do they have here?

With all these Gods, with all these fantastical and deadly creatures, would kind of stories would people write? Would it be about worlds of magic and sword or maybe something else? Hell, what would the history books look like?

"Oh my, can I help you?"

A voice breaks me out of my stupor and I turn my head to see a woman standing behind me.

She had chocolate brown skin and long silky black hair that reached all the way down to her back and warm but wary brown eyes. Her clothes were a mixture of a librarian outfit and casual that seemed to hug her figure.

And she is incredibly beautiful. Her skin was smooth without a single blemish and her face had a distinctly exotic look, her cute nose small but sharp.

I've met beautiful women before, but I've met more ever since coming here. I have no idea why, but every man is either a hunk or a pretty boy and every woman has something going for her.

This is...different though. This woman was different, though I couldn't figure out why.

"Sorry," I bow my head to the woman who blinks at me, "I didn't mean to stand around in front of your store, but I was just kinda curious about the name."

"Oh? What about it?" The woman walks closer to me, no longer afraid for some reason, and only coming up to my shoulders.

"Well...it's not so much the name as whose name it is that caught my attention. I just thought it would be bigger if it was owned by someone like Thoth, is all."

"Hmph," The tanned woman puffs up her cheeks and gives me a mild glare, "Well, sorry for not living up to your expectations."

"Why are you saying sorry?" I frown at the woman who just blankly stares back at me, "I was talking about Thoth."

The woman, who I can only guess is the store owner, just blankly stares up at me with half open eyes.

Then her eyes start to squint and her eyebrows crease into a thoughtful frown.

"How much do you know about m-Thoth?"

What the hell kind of question is that all of a sudden? Why does she even care?

"Well, I know that he's a God of wisdom," The woman's eyes suddenly snap open and her mouth gapes open, "And magic, writing and the moon fall under his purview. He was even called a scribe of the Gods so I'm not surprised that he owns a bookshop. Just that it's so small. I mean, he's a God, right? A library or something seems more appropriate."

For a moment, the woman doesn't say anything and just stares at me with that gaping mouth of her and wide eyes.

"...He?"

"Yes?" I raise my brow at her, "Thoth is a man."

Well, I'm sure that he is at least. He does have a head of an Ibis but I'm pretty sure he's a guy.

Apparently, that was too much for the woman.

"Snrk!" She covers her mouth with her hand and her shoulders start to shake violently.

And there I stood next to a woman who was currently in a mad fit of giggles due to whatever I said.

I don't have time for this.

"Well, in any case, I need to get going to the Dungeon. Have a good day, Miss."

Putting my hands back into my pouch, I turn and leave-

"W-wait, I'm sorry!" The giggling mad woman grabs onto my sleeve, her smile bright and wide, "I'm n-not laughing at you."

"Then what are you laughing at?" I ask the now softly giggling woman with a raised brow.

"Just what you said about...Thoth, is all," She smiles at me, her pearly white teeth on display for me to see, "You said you're off to the Dungeon right? What Familia are you a part of? I don't see an emblem on you or your peculiar clothes."

A bit weird to ask me that all of a sudden, but I suppose it doesn't matter.

"I'm part of Yahweh's Familia."

Not like my Familia exists anyway. And I'm so bloody glad for that, I don't think I could take it if Yahweh was a thing here.

"Yeah...way?" The woman rolls the word around her tongue, mispronouncing the name like everyone else, "I don't believe I've heard of such a God before…"

"He's pretty secretive," I shrug my shoulders at her frown, "Miss, if you don't mind, I do really need to get to the Dungeon. I'm already later than I would like to be."

"Oh! Of course, my apologies. The best of luck to you…?"

"John. No surname."

The woman raises her brow briefly before flashing me a smile, "Then the best of luck, John. If you ever in need of any reading material, do come by and give my store a look."

How many women are going to shill me their workplaces? What's next, a brothel?

"If I have the time, I'll come by," I lie through my teeth and nod to the woman again, "Good day, Miss."

With that, I turn around with my hands in my pouch and my hood up. The Tower of Babel loomed there in the distance, stoic and still, as if waiting for me.

What a strange woman.

.

* * *

.

The first thing I learned about the Dungeon is that's alive.

Not alive as in a creature that breathes, sleeps and eats.

But more in the sense, the entire thing is 'aware' of both itself, of me and anyone else that enters it.

The saying "In the Belly of the Beast," is scarily accurate for the Dungeon and how it works.

It took me a while, but ever since I first came here, I had this niggling feeling at the back of my head whenever I fought against a group of Goblins or a Kobold.

Until it struck me.

The Dungeon, at its very core, acts as an immune system.

Foreign bodies enter in the veins of the main body and in retaliation, it sends in the antibodies to get rid of or even eat in some cases the potential viruses.

Belly of the Beast in fucking deed.

That's not even taking into account that parts of the Dungeon that get damaged are repaired next morning. Or the fact that I've literally seen Kobolds birthed from the walls of the Dungeon itself in some sort disturbing caricature of something being born.

Too bad this immune system is my one-way ticket home when I reach the bottom.

The first floor of the Dungeon had dark blue walls, the colour reminding me of the sky that hanged above my head not moments ago. Despite being deep underground, I could see just as clearly as I could in the day due to the sparkling specks on the ceiling, far above me. I don't know if they're gems or just the Dungeons way of making sure I don't trip over and die.

I had taken my hands out of my pouch and they hang listlessly at my side, though my hands are clenched tightly into balled fists. My hood was taken down and I kept glancing at the dark blue walls every second, my eyes never resting once.

I had my hood up the first time I came here, but I didn't realise how much that thing actually limits my vision.

Never again.

Something blinks to life in the corner of my vision.

A small cobalt blue box with a green bar on top of a blue bar. The green bar had the letters **HP **next to it and the number 60 in the middle. The blue bar was the same except that had **MP **and the number 120.

And here we go.

From ahead of me, I heard various yelps and yips coming from the deep darkness of the Dungeon. In no time at all, the first monsters of the day finally appeared.

Three Kobolds, monsters that looked like a mix of a man and dog, run towards me on all fours. Pure red glowing eyes zero in on me and dog-like snouts growl at me, showing off their razor-sharp teeth.

I raise my hand towards the three sprinting Kobolds, the distance between us getting shorter and shorter in a frightening display of speed.

"**Earth Spikes."**

Out of the corner of my eye, my **MP **bar trickles down to 110 before steadily trickling back up.

From around me, three stakes of rock break off from the walls of the Dungeon with loud _cracks _that echo out throughout the hallway. The three floating sharp stalagmites shoot off like bullets, one for each Kobold.

A spurt of blood, a high pitched yelp and three thuds could be heard as the Kobold's dead bodies hit the floor.

I put my hand down and I look around on the dark blue walls of the Dungeon, searching for any signs or tall tale noises of monsters being born.

Nothing. The only sound that I could hear is the sound of my steady heartbeat.

That was easy.

Kobolds aren't the hardest thing I had to deal with down here, but they are fast and they usually run with a group or a pair from what I've seen. Running away and spamming **Earth Spikes **usually does the trick if there is more than three.

"Inventory."

Like before, a blue screen pops up in front of me, larger than any other. In the screen were multiple boxes, probably more than I'll ever need. Only two boxes had something in them. A key for my room back at the Hostess of Fertility and a knife that I bought from the Guild when Eina browbeat me into buying it. It had also had some lines of text at the very top that read:

**Valis: 19,465.**

**Magic stones(small): 0**

**Weight: 5/50**

Gotta love having the world's most secure bank quite literally in the back of my mind.

I point my finger at the knife and another but smaller blue box filled with white text springs to life in front of me.

**[Guild knife.**

**A knife you bought because you can't say no to a woman. Surprisingly well made and durable for a stock standard knife. Essential for any Adventurer, whether for combat or for cutting up monsters for their stones.]**

Ignoring the stuff about a woman, I click the knife again and the small box blinks out of existence and I feel a sudden weight appear in my right hand.

Gripping the knife until my knuckles turn white, I walk through the blue screens and they fizzle out of existence.

The bodies aren't going anywhere. There's no need to rush for some fingernail-sized magic stones.

I slowly make my way towards the still bodies of the Kobolds, knife clutched in my hand like a lifeline.

2 of the 3 Kobolds had the stone spikes pierced through their eyes and coming out in the back of their head, but the third one had a spike in their chest, piercing what should be their heart.

"**Earth Spikes."**

Another three rocks break off the dark blue walls of the Dungeon, another three sharp stalagmites shoot towards the Kobold. Two pierce through their ribs while one goes through their head.

I could feel myself let out a sigh as I basically double tapped the Kobold and my grip loosens on my knife if only a little bit.

"Time to get to work," I mutter grimly to myself.

Kneeling over the bodies, I bring my knife down onto its chest and warm blood spurts everywhere.

My body goes on autopilot as I work on extracting the magic stones in the Kobold's chest and my brain wanders.

Specifically onto this whole "Gamer" thing.

I have no idea how it even works.

It basically turns me into an RPG video game character and…

And that's it. That's all I got.

I have my own inventory, I have an **HP **and **MP **bar, I have my own stats which I can only guess to what they actually do because this stupid thing doesn't come with a manual and there's no 'menu' or 'options' that I can just open up and read. Hell, I even have bloody magic, but that was rather...lackluster all things considered.

I just say the words and the spell actives. Sometimes I move my hands to direct it, but it's rather cut and dry for something like magic.

Like a video game.

Shame I couldn't just pick up a sword and start swinging, but I'm not going to fool myself. I have no idea how to fight in melee besides wildly swinging and I started out with these spells anyway and my **WIS **has increased because of that, so no point fixing what ain't broke.

Turns out, being quite literally dropped right into another world that has a completely different currency system makes it quite difficult to buy weapons and armour. Who would've thought?

At least spells don't cost money to use, thank God.

"And that's three."

As the last Kobold turns to ash I shove its magic stone, more of a shard than a stone, into my pouch and a notification pops up by my 'HUD' I guess I could call it.

**Acquired three magic stones(small)! Automatically moved to inventory. **

Swiping away the annoying blue box, I look at my HUD once again, scanning it for something.

My bright blue bar is slowly but surely trickling back up to 120 and my green bar remained unchanged.

It didn't have anything else on it. Not my name, real or fake.

And certainly not an experience bar.

I've heard other Adventurers mention something about 'Level 2' and 'Level 1' but I don't think they have the same thing that I do. Something about a 'Falna' whatever the hell that is.

It seems like common knowledge and I couldn't risk outing myself as a complete outsider, at least not this early, so when Eina asked me if I had a 'Falna' I just lied through my teeth like I usually do.

This thing didn't call itself a 'Falna' though, it called itself 'Gamer Mode'.

I suppose I should stop worrying about this stuff, at least for now. I'm in the Dungeon right now, I should just concentrate on getting past Floor Six today.

A Floor a day.

That's the goal I set myself. The one I'm currently failing at.

It's the goal that'll get me closer to home, after all.

.

* * *

.

I'm thrown back against the wall by the great scaled beast known as a Dungeon Lizard rams me and pins me against the wall with its great big thick hide, my arms pathetically trying to push it away.

It doesn't budge.

With slithering turn of its head, a crossbreed between a Komodo dragon and a snake, the Dungeon Lizard hisses at me, its glowing red eyes glaring at me and blood dripping from its mouth. As if taking its sweet time, the thing slowly opens its bloody gaping maw, blood coloured slime drip onto my arms. No sound was made as it dislocates its jaw big enough to swallow my head whole and then some.

So of course, I do the smart thing.

I stick my hand down its throat.

"**Fireball!"**

I ignore the slimy and constricting throat of the Dungeon Lizard and I notice my **MP **bar goes from 80 to 20. The human-sized lizard doesn't have a moment to react as it bursts into flames and its whole body quickly turns into ash as its magic stone is destroyed in the blaze.

I'm dropped onto the ground and onto my knees, gasping for air. The rancid smell of blood permeates the air and with it, I feel the tangy taste of cling to the back of my throat.

A half-eaten corpse of a man stares at me with dead, glassy eyes, his whole lower half nothing more than guts and organs that had fallen out and around him were the corpses of 5 Goblins, untouched besides the large slashes on their bodies.

It wasn't the first time I've seen a dead body.

The first time was my first day here.

It was a girl with short brown hair. Her face and throat had been torn to shreds by a Kobold.

I think that was the first time I killed anything as well.

After that, I had asked Eina about the policy on finding dead bodies of Adventurers. Eina, sweet thing that she is, gave to me gently but the message was clear:

It's not the Guild's problem and it's not my problem unless I make it my problem.

Adventurers die. That's just a simple fact that I or anyone else in my line of work have to deal with. As I stare at the glassy-eyed corpse, one of the first things that Eina ever told me and subsequently the first piece of advice I've received upon arriving in this world:

"_Adventurers shouldn't go on adventures." _

I slowly make my way over to the dead body, the glassy eyes almost tracking me as I close in on the corpse.

I kneel down and, as gently as I could, I flip him over onto his back, his face set in a perpetual scream. I ignore the sounds his organs make as I twist him around. The sword in his grasp falls away, his fingers loosely holding it despite his death.

The first time, I didn't bother looking. I just killed the monster and ran as fast as I could.

The next day, the girl was gone.

The stairway to the Fifth Floor is just up ahead. If I go down, this guy probably won't be here when I come back.

With slow movements, I close his screaming, silent mouth and gently close his eyelids, making it seem like he went asleep more than anything else despite his lower half effectively gone.

I pick up his sword, giving it a good look over. I could probably sell this or even use it if I really wanted to. It's a simple longsword, but clean and sharp.

I gently lay the sword down onto his chest.

I know no one will know if I take it. But this guy went down fighting. He should at least be given that much.

And then it strikes me.

How old is this kid? He looked older before I closed his eyelids, but now…

He couldn't be older than 17. Maybe 18 at most.

"Who sends a kid down here?"

I could feel something akin to acidic bile rise in my throat with every word I spoke and every moment I spent looking at the kid in front of me, I could feel my heart hammer against my chest in rapid angry beats.

From what I know, Familia's are groups run by Gods and everyone in a Familia has something called a 'Falna' which the God in question bestows upon their followers or 'children' as I've heard some call it. I don't know how a 'Falna' works but it's more or less required to go into the Dungeon.

Apparently, something bestowed upon by the Gods wasn't enough to save this poor kid.

Gods. I hope I never meet one for as long as I'm here.

Shaking my head, I slowly stepped over the body and made my way towards the staircase lower into the Dungeon.

I can't get distracted for too long. I don't know how long it'll take for the monsters to respawn, but I know it won't be any time soon. This kid seems to have exhausted this bit of the Dungeon before the Dungeon Lizard got the drop on him.

I take a quick glance at my HUD:

**HP: 21**

**MP:40**

Probably due to my high **WIS **stat, but my MP regenerates fairly quickly compared to my **HP**. If I had to guess, that might have to do with my low **END **stat.

I wonder if that would increase the regen rate of my **HP **or my **HP **in total? I'll probably never know though. I have no interest in experimenting with my **HP **of all things.

Raising my hand over my arm, I open my mouth and say:

"**Soothing Waters."**

My **MP **starts going down steadily as if being drained. At that moment, a large globule of water forms into existence and splashes itself onto my arm.

I try not to hiss at the sensation of the cold water seeping through my clothes and my skin, chilling me down to the bone. A quick glance told me that my **HP **had started going back up, already hitting 30 and that my **MP **had gone down to 20.

I don't know why I only have these three spells. I didn't make them or thought them up. I only realised that I had them during my first day of being here which was…

Well, I rather not think about that day.

I force myself to move forward, leaving the body of another dead Adventurer behind me.

.

* * *

.

**HP: 60**

**MP: 70**

"That should be good enough," I mutter to myself and pull myself up from the stone cold floor. I check over myself once last time before I set off.

My clothes are just as clean as when I got here despite what I've put them through. No crusty blood marks or soaking patches due to **Soothing Waters. **One of the benefits of being a video game character I suppose along with a couple of others.

Unlike the Floors above me, the Sixth Floor is a drastic change. Unlike the dark blue walls and wide corridors, the stone walls had changed to a light green colour and the wide corridors are absent in exchange for twists, turns and multiple paths. It would be easy to get lost and end up in a dead end. At which point Goblins start to spawn from the ceiling and literally drop on your head.

That was a fun day.

"Time."

A blue box appears in front of me with the numbers **13:43. **

I get up at 6 sharp, so I've been down here about 7 hours, more or less. Probably would've been here faster but that Dungeon Lizard from before kinda shocked me.

Most Adventurers don't go in as early as I do which is precisely why I go in so early. If I go in late mornings or early afternoons like most people do, I wouldn't have a solid grasp on the respawns of the monsters.

That and…

I've seen some very seedy Adventurers. Some I wouldn't want to meet in a dark alley let alone the Dungeon. I suppose one benefit of living in a well-known pub is that you can get a pretty good grasp on whose trustworthy or not simply by how much they drink and what they say or do around attractive women.

In wine lies truth. Or beer in this case.

As I walk among the closing, light green corridors of the Dungeon, the only sounds that I can hear are the sounds of my footsteps reverbing against the stone walls ever so slightly. Every step is accompanied by another one, a phantom echo that makes it seem like someone was walking with me.

Or walking towards me.

My heart goes _thump thump, _pumping blood in my veins that rush to my ears. My eyes dart wildly onto every surface, on every wall and never keeping still on just one light green wall.

Then I see something up ahead.

"Oh, what the fuck."

An intersection that splits off to three hallways. One to the left, right and straight on.

Was this here yesterday? Last time, it was mostly a straight path with a few split off hallways here and there. I never bothered going off exploring and just focused on going deeper into the Dungeon. Did I just not notice or have I twisted myself around?

Actually, how far have I been walking? I've only encountered the odd Goblin group or Kobold so far.

No War Shadows to almost kill me again.

"Bloody bollocks," I mutter under my breath. I twist my head to each direction, raking my brain for something.

This isn't good. I don't have anything to mark the hallways with and they all look the same. If I didn't have my back to where I came, I'm pretty sure I would get lost in an inst-

The sound of stone cracking open like an egg echoes out as a rattle that shoves itself into my brain.

The sound came from behind me.

I snap around to see a figure shuffle its way out of the green Dungeon wall as if being birthed by the very stone itself. The messy 'afterbirth' is heralded as the figure turns its face to stare up at me.

Except it doesn't have a face. The whole figure is completely smooth pitch black with a single large silver oval thing in its head that could be called its 'face'. Its head is in the shape of a cross and its arms, almost as long as its lanky black body that ended in three sharp talons. It was like a living shadow built to kill.

Though I have to stare down to look at the War Shadow, I feel my body take a step back all by itself.

Then the wall starts to crack again.

From the opposite wall, another War Shadow slithers out, a picture-perfect copy of its 'brother'.

The two War Shadows look at me with their emotionless silver disks. Their only movement being the stretching of their three sharp talons on each long, black arms.

I don't hesitate.

"**Earth Spikes!"**

Three sharp stakes of rock snap off from the walls of the Dungeon and spear through the air as if shot from a gun, straight towards one of the War Shadows.

Movements that resembled more like swimming rather than running, the War Shadow weaves under the three rock spear tips while the second one leaps towards me with nary a sound, its talons outstretched in a massive downward swing.

It barely misses me as I force all the strength in my legs to leap backwards, my muscles firing off all unison as the black claw swings downward and slices into the stone.

The other one from behind, the first War Shadow, rushes me like a rabid animal with its arms outstretched.

"**Earth Spikes!"**

From behind me, three sharp rocks fire off yet again and race towards the sprinting War Shadow. It leaps towards the side, but the spray of black oily liquid that squirts out of its shoulder tells me that enough.

The two War Shadows go back to standing up to their full height and just stare at me blankly with those silver disk. The one with a bleeding shoulder ignores it, a somewhat large gash currently bleeding some sort of black liquid. The flexing of its talons though told me the wound either wasn't that fatal or it just didn't care.

I resist the urge to cast **Earth Spikes **again. I need to let my **MP **regen as much as it can before I start flinging that spell again.

I run out of **MP, **I die.

God, I hate being a spell caster some times.

With only a sudden stiffness to alert me, the uninjured War Shadow shoots off to my left.

I snap my body around and like last time, my legs shoot off the ground-

Something displaces the air behind me with a quiet _whoosh. _

I don't get the chance to look as I feel something smash against my ribs and I'm lifted off the ground by the force. My vision swims swirls and spins wildly as my body is forced careering against the stone cold floor until I feel myself smash against a wall.

**HP: 3**

**MP: 55**

Well, that isn't good.

I lie motionless on the ground, feeling little more than just a numbness that spreads throughout my body. The War Shadow that I had lost sight of slowly shambles its way towards me while the other one at the end of the corridor follows suit.

"Inventory," I whisper under my breath and a familiar blue screen filled with boxes pops in front of me. The bleeding War Shadow looms over me, its emotionless silver disk staring down at me for but a moment.

It raises its shadowy talons.

"**Earth Spikes!"**

I was already moving when two stalagmites of rocks stake the War Shadow through the shoulders and the third one goes right through the raised talon and pinned it against the wall opposite me.

Shoving my hand through the knife in my inventory, I feel its comforting weight on my hand and my tight grip turns my knuckles white.

Spurts of black oily blood splash onto my face as I roughly thrust my knife through the smooth neck of the War Shadow and the sharp tip poking out the end of its neck, oily liquid bubbling forth like a broken tap.

Out of the corner my vision, I see the other War Shadow suddenly sprint towards me, its black knife-like talons reaching to gut me like a fish.

Grabbing the dead War Shadow's body, a disgusting wet rip of flesh invades my ears as I separate the body from its pinned talon, thick black oil sprays showers down onto me.

With as much force as I could muster, I throw the handless corpse of its brother at the War Shadow who, just like last time, leaps to the left.

"**Earth Spikes!" **

But unlike last time, it was already in motion when three sharp stalagmites of rock shot towards it.

Three satisfying thuds of flesh being stabbed ring like music to my ears as I look at the War Shadow, unable to do anything, its chest is pierced with two **Earth Spikes **with the third one going straight through its blank silver disk of a face. Oily black blood pours forth with some sort of _glug glug _noise.

It didn't even hit the ground as its whole body disintegrates to ash, dropping a pebble size magic stone.

My lungs feel like they're going to explode with each breath that I take. Every beat of my rapid heart bangs against my rib cage and rings out in my ears, my face feeling like it's been ignited.

I could only take two more gasps as my legs give way to underneath me and I land on my arse right onto the rocky ground.

With a shaky breath, I cast **Soothing Waters **twice in a row and the bone-chilling sensation calms down my raging heart if only a little. With a sigh, I watch my green bar slowly filling up to safe levels again but my MP to almost drop down to 0.

I scan my surroundings wildly in case of any more openings and keep my ears open despite the ringing in them.

...Wait a minute.

I look down one hallway.

And then the next.

And the next.

And the next.

"...Which way did I come from?"

None of the walls had any of the tall tale markings when the War Shadows were birthed from. The Dungeon always closes the tears when it does that and I can't find any of my **Earth Spikes**.

Forcing myself up with a grunt, I walk to the centre of the intersection and kneel down to pick up the two pebble size magic stones.

Only to find something extra as well.

With a frown, I reach down and pick up a thin, small black...talon?

The talon of a War Shadow?

Is this suppose to happen? I thought if the body was damaged enough or the magic stone was severed, the monster would turn into ash. Why would it leave something behind?

Opening up my inventory, I click on a box with the black talon and I watch as the monster piece quite literally disappears into thin air and a small image of it shows up in a box. I click on the box and a blue screen spring to life in front of me:

**[War Shadow's Finger Blade.**

**A finger blade of a War Shadow you killed. Sharp and black as night, you very nearly didn't see it coming until it was too late.**

**Uses:?]**

Thanks, that's exactly what I needed to know.

Damn, is this a normal thing to happen? Did Eina mention this during one of her lectures?

I really should've listened to her more outside of what the Dungeon is and its monster spawn.

Oh, she is going to have my arse after this. She already blew her fucking top when I off handly mentioned to her that I went down to the Third Floor on my second day.

Speaking of which…

I stand up fully and I scan my surroundings to find myself presented with four hallways.

Four identical hallways.

"...Which way did I come from?"

...Fuck me.

A one in two chance for it to either be another room or a dead end.

A Floor a day.

That's the goal I've set myself. The goal that'll get me back home.

I don't know how many Floors this Dungeon has.

No one does.

The lowest anyone has gone in recent times are the Floors that number in the 50s by the Loki Familia, which is why I know about them.

If I go down a Floor a day, I can get home sooner rather than later. There can't be more than a hundred floors in this fucking thing.

I don't belong here. I will never belong here. The faster I get home, the better.

**HP: 45**

**MP:13**

I have one **Earth Spike **left in me, maybe two if I let my **MP **regenerate.

I can feel my grip tighten around my knife dripping with black ichor.

A Floor a day.

.

* * *

.

**HP: 11**

**MP: 0**

"Time."

**Time: 22:48**

I'll have to visit Eina tomorrow then and make up some bullshit then. Maybe I'll just keep my magic stones in secret for now and cash them in when she isn't working. Maybe start asking around about that talon I picked up and see what I can use it for.

The star-filled night glitters above me like the finest jewels ever made. It truly was something to see a night sky without a hint of a cloud. The moon itself shined the biggest and brightest like a lightbulb in the sky that could never be turned off.

I wonder if the night sky back home is like this? I never bothered to take a look because why would I? It happens every night so why would it be special like now?

I wonder if Gods ever wonder about the stars above their heads. Do they wonder what life might be out there? Do they even know what the diamonds of the night sky actually are?

I would think they don't. If a person is born in Heaven, why would they bother looking up when all they have left is down?

I pull up my hood and shove my hands into my pouch. As I walk down the long stone steps of Babylon, my HUD blinks out of existence at long last and I release a breath I didn't know I was holding.

I'm the only one walking down these stone steps, the sound of my heavy footfalls echo around me, joining the muffled cheers and parties that Adventurers tend to have at this time of night in the various lit up buildings of Oriaro, like candles in the night.

Another day.

Another Floor.

Another failure.

The hallway I chose was the wrong one, but it wasn't that bad. Just a group of Goblins and a Frog Shooter that spawned from a dead end the hallway led me to. No War Shadows that time.

Then I went back after fighting another group of Goblins that had hidden in an alcove I didn't see before and ambushed me which is always fun.

Then I chose another hallway.

This time, it was the right one. I was practically in running distance of the stairway to Floor Seven.

Then four War Shadows spawned from the walls, three in front and one behind me.

The only reason I'm still alive is because of the one attack that I tanked didn't cripple me.

Or rather, couldn't cripple me.

I instantly started to run from the War Shadows in front of me and charge the one behind me, flinging **Earth Spikes **at it like crazy.

It slashed my back and my **HP **took a massive hit that brought me down to the single digits.

But it didn't take me down to zero.

And so I run like the hounds of Hell were at my heels.

Because I'm pretty sure they were.

I don't know when they stopped chasing me, but it might have been when I got lucky and found the staircase back up to Floor Five.

That **Fireball **I threw might've helped though.

Going back up the Dungeon is about as fun as going down it.

Which is to say not at all.

At least the monsters don't get stronger the further I go up.

I just ignore the way my chest gets tighter each time I go up a Floor rather than down a Floor.

Walking through the moonlit streets, the sounds of cheering rowdy Adventurers could almost be heard throughout the city. It wouldn't inaccurate to say that the night belongs to them as most, if not all Adventurers spend most of the morning in the Dungeon, making money and killing monsters.

Maybe it's because I've never really lived in a city before but it's kinda weird seeing two sides to a place. The village that I lived in was a pretty cut and dry place with the occasional drunkard.

The bookstore from before is shut, its curtains drawn.

I don't bother to look at it.

Eventually, I come to the loudest and most lit up building in the city, various voices cry out in laughs, in cheers and the smashing and clinking of mugs could practically be felt. The faint whiff of different cooked foods draft on by my nose.

Busy tonight. Maybe I can just sneak past the girls and Mia?

Pulling down my hood, I walk up the wooden steps of the Hostess of Fertility and push open the large ornate wooden doors.

The yells from before suddenly rise to almost unbearable levels as the cheers, shouts and the banging of mugs beat against my eardrums non-stop. The overpowering smell of food and beer assault me from every direction and I couldn't help but cringe as both my sight, sound and smell are attacked from every direction.

As soon as I open the doors, an elf with light green hair who was standing by the door at that moment turns to me.

"Welcome-"

So much for sneaking.

"-To the Host-," Ryu stops bowing her head to look up and finally gets a good look at my face, giving me a single blink.

"Oh, John. It's you. Enjoy your walk?"

Crisp and cool, a direct contrast to the rowdy atmosphere of the pub, Ryu gave me her usual stoic stare.

The clipped tone is new though.

"No, I didn't," I tell the elf bluntly, "I think I'm just going to go to bed for toda-"

"Take a seat and eat something," Ryu suddenly steps in front of me, swifter than I thought someone should be with a plate of full mugs.

Despite only coming up to my shoulders, the intense stare that Ryu gave me actually caused me to stop though I did look down at her with a raised brow.

"John, Adventurers higher level than you have been in here for hours at least. You have been the Dungeon for over _10 hours by yourself,_" Ryu meets my silent stare with her own unrelenting one, the din of loud cheers and swishing mugs unable to overcome Ryu's crisp, neutral voice though we were starting to attract attention from others.

I really don't need this right now.

But I don't want to make a scene, especially not when I'm living under someone else's roof.

"Fine," I shrug at the insistent elf who just blinks in surprise, "Show me to a table then and I'll order something."

For a moment, I could've sworn that Ryu's shoulders sag ever so slightly but just as quickly, she does a light bow and wordlessly walks off and I follow after her, dodging and weaving through the crowds of drowsy, drunk and loud Adventurers

"Busy night tonight," I say to Ryu over the din of noise and she glances back to me, "What's the occasion?"

"One of the Adventurers in the Loki Familia recently levelled up so most of them came here to celebrate. Here's your table."

Apparently going up a Level is a big deal. Good to know.

The table that Ryu led me to was a lonely little thing. With only one chair left, it was left empty next to a group of a peculiar looking Adventurers, at least compared to the rest but just as rowdy.

A red-headed girl is downing a mug of alcohol while the elf with long jade hair is calmly sipping something. A woman with long blond hair and a blank look, a really small guy with messy blond hair and a guy with light grey hair and dog ears, who's currently red in the face and shouting something or other.

Don't know why they just left this one empty though. Seems like a waste to host a party and not just take the chair.

I pull out the chair and sit down on it, the wooden chair creaking beneath my weight and I look up at Ryu with a raised brow.

"If you'll wait just a moment, I'm sure Syr will come by to take your order."

...Oh, you bitch.

"Ryu, don't you da-"

The elf didn't say anything or even smirk at me, but the glint in her sky blue eyes told me enough.

Then she walks off without another word.

"Fuck me," I mutter under my breath and rub my forehead even though it doesn't ache.

I'll accept that I just walked straight into that. I should've known better than to just hope it would be someone else.

Oh well. I have some time before Syr finds out I'm here and try to squeeze me dry.

"Inventory," I whisper under my breath and the familiar box filled screen flickers to life and laying almost flat against the table. I lay my hands onto the table.

Making it seem like I was just tapping the table in impatience, I click on the black finger blade of that War Shadow and I feel a weight of something underneath my hands. Removing my hands, a familiar black talon is laying there on the table.

Grabbing the black talon with both hands, I tune out the din of the partying Adventurers and the yells of that dog eared guy and stare at the small black blade in my hands.

This is the first time something has happened like this to me and I just can't find out whether this is a normal thing or not.

Let's think…

If I work like a video game character and an item drops from a monster, what would that item be used for?

The first thing that comes to mind is a consumable like a health potion or something but I'm sure as fuck not going to eat something that came from a monster in the Dungeon. Especially something so sharp.

Giving it a few tugs and pulls tells me the blade is inflexible anyway and pretty solid despite coming from a living shadow.

The second is selling it for money. Money itself isn't really a big deal for me, my budget consists of 2000 Valis a month and because of all my trips to the Dungeon, I've saved up quite a lot of money, probably more than I'll ever need.

The third and final thing is crafting.

Except that I'm not a crafter. Hell, I don't even know the first step to being a blacksmith or anything like that.

I guess I'll just have to ask Eina tomorrow then. Maybe I'll just say I left it in the Dungeon because I didn't know what it was and I didn't want to risk it.

She might not yell at me again then.

Hopefully.

Playing around with the pitch black talon amongst the revelry of Adventurers, apparently all from the same Familia, I sat there surrounded by the noises of cheers and the din of conversation.

What am I doing?

Why did I let Ryu talk me into this so easily? I don't want to eat and I don't want to drink. I just want to sleep so I can try to reach the Seventh Floor again tomorrow.

Why do they care so much that some weird nobody isn't eating their food? I'm already paying them for a room to sleep in, why are they so insistent on something so little?

"John!" A chipper voice breaks me out of my stupor and I turn my head to see Syr making her way to me with a warm smile on her face and a parchment and pencil in her hand. I quickly cover the talon with a hand.

"Syr," I give the smiling grey-haired waitress a nod, "Having fun tonight?"

"You bet!" Syr taps her pencil on the paper, a grin permanently plastered on her face, "But, enough about that! I want to know what you'll be having for your first meal!"

Oh Syr.

You truly are too easy at times.

"I think I'll have some water."

Syr quickly starts writing down on her notepad while giving me an odd look, "Uh...okay! What else?"

"That'll be it, thank you," I say the words that shatter her happiness like glass. Syr's smile turns amazingly brittle and her scribbling stops dead in its track.

"...Are you sure?" Syr asks me in a tone of voice I couldn't quite place.

If we're going to play this game, my dear Syr, I'm playing to win.

Maybe you'll finally just drop it then.

"I am quite sure that I want a mug of water, yes."

"Okay then!" Syr tells me in a voice that is anything but, "That'll be a thousand Valis!"

As soon as the words leave her mouth, I could hear sputters and chokes on the table beside me but I don't bother looking back at them.

I'm far too busy trying not to break out in laughter.

"S-Syr, are you even allowed to do that?" I glance at Mia behind the counter who just gives me a look with a raised brow as if daring me.

Daring me to question or daring me to pay, I don't know.

I can feel a piercing glare bore on the side of my head. I don't have to look to know who that is.

"Water is a very precious commodity, John!" Syr tells me the worst lie I've ever heard, her pencil practically already writing, "If you want something so...outlandish, you have to pay the price, you know?"

"And food and beer aren't a 'precious commodity'?"

Syr just gives me a vulpine grin.

She thinks she's caught me.

Oh, you poor thing. Don't act as if you know me after 5 days.

"You know, on second thought, I'll change my order."

"Grea-!"

"I'm quite parched so I'll take two mugs of water, thank you very much."

Syr's face doesn't change, but I see her fingers grip the pencil in her hand hard enough to make her knuckles turn white.

"...Okay then! Two mugs of water, coming up!"

With a brusque turn, Syr walks off, not even bothering to look back at me and that brittle smile glued onto her face.

She wanted money, didn't she? Hell, she tried shilling this place to me in the first place.

Well, whatever. I'm not here to make friends. I'm here to go back home.

.

* * *

.

Ryu Lion scrubs one dirty plate with rolled up sleeves before quickly and smoothly moving over to one side and grabbing another dirty plate to scrub.

Rinse and repeat, monotonous work no doubt but she didn't mind. It let her thoughts wander while her body was on autopilot.

And her thoughts wander to John, the current renter and rookie Adventurer.

What an infuriating man.

When she first heard that Syr had managed to convince Mama Mia to take on a tenant, a man of all people, she thought that her friend and saviour had finally lost her mind.

When she first met John, she didn't think much of him.

Weird clothes that clearly show him to be a foreigner, a fat body not anywhere near suited for going into the Dungeon and a slouch that showed all to see how much of a stranger he really is to combat.

He didn't even own a weapon.

The only good thing she got from their meeting if it could be called that, is that he clearly wasn't interested in her or in any of her coworkers. Instead of their bodies, his eyes first wandered to her ears with that raised brow of his before quickly looking away.

If she had to guess, he's probably never seen someone from a different race before. At least he didn't try and touch her, though she wonders if he even knew about that certain Elf custom.

The first day of living here, she and the others were surprised to see him get up so early. With barely more than a grunt of acknowledgement, he left for the Dungeon.

They didn't see him again until almost 18 hours had passed.

They had almost locked up the Hostess of Fertility for the night until he suddenly knocked on the door, admittedly causing some of the others to scream.

With an admonishment from Mama Mia, John apologised for almost missing his curfew and went straight to bed.

The next day, John got up at the same exact time.

This time, Syr stopped him and offered him something to eat. Though John had, for some reason, negotiated to not eat a free breakfast and free dinner for cutting down the rent, she very much doubts it would've been outside his price range.

He refused.

And at that point, Ryu noticed something weird things.

His clothes are always pristine. They never smell of blood, they don't have any marks or signs of battle, not even a speck of dirt.

He never ate or drank. No breakfast or dinner. He was never around for lunch. Every time, he would weasel his way out of eating anything.

She wondered if he even entered the Dungeon and was just masquerading as an Adventurer.

Until she heard some others mutter about 'some guy in weird clothes flinging rocks in the Dungeon'."

So, a spell caster then.

But that made even less sense.

Spellcasters, while powerful, are frail. They work the best in a team or a group at least. Any Familia with half a brain would know this.

So she approached him directly and got her answer:

"_Why would my God care about me?" _

She didn't know what was worse; That he didn't have any anger in his voice when he said it or that he asked her with genuine curiosity as if he couldn't even begin to understand the concept of a God caring about their child.

That answer along with the utter desperation that John had for being in the Dungeon spoke volumes of his current situation.

To have a single Familia member work alone in the Dungeon with no one to back them up, especially for a spellcaster, is beyond cruel where a single bad encounter or an Ignis Fatuus would easily kill him.

After this, she and the others tried to at least get him to eat something. At this rate, he will die from malnutrition than anything else the Dungeon could throw at him.

And yet he refuses.

Like a machine, he gets up and leaves for the Dungeon and doesn't come back until the morning has passed into the night.

But finall-

"Ohhhhhhhhhh! That big idiot!"

Breaking out of her thoughts, Ryu turns her head to see Syr stomping her way back into the kitchen, her pout out in full force.

Ah. Of course it wouldn't be that easy.

"What did he order?" Ryu asks, already knowing who the 'big idiot' in question is. She puts the last of the dirty plates away and turns around to face her friend.

"Ryu!" Syr snaps towards her, her puffed up cheeks reminding her of a child, "I'm convinced John is just doing this to make me angry at this point!"

"Oh?"

"All he wanted was a mug of water! No food, no beer! What kind of Adventurer doesn't eat and drink after a hard day of work!?"

What kind, indeed.

"And what did you say to him?"

"I said…" Syr points her two fingers together with the wind taken out of her sails and gives Ryu an awkward smile, "I kinda said that it would cost him a thousand Valis?"

"I see," Ryu says, her voice unnaturally calm, "And did he accept?"

"...He asked for two mugs of water."

Ryu blinks at Syr.

"I-it's not like I expected him to accept!" Syr hastily waves her arms about, "I was just bluffing! How-!?"

Without a word, Ryu turns and grabs two clean mugs, filling them with water.

"Errr...Ryu, you shouldn't get so upset."

"I'm not upset," Ryu states coolly, "I just want to make sure he pays. That's all."

"Oh dear…" Syr mutters under her breath as she watches her friend carry the two water-filled mugs with a brusque walk.

Moving easily among the rowdy members of the Loki Familia, Ryu finds her mark sitting alone on the table closest to Loki and her Executives, his back to her and playing with something on the table.

Ryu wonders if John knew how famous the people by his side actually were, but for some reason, she doubts he knows or cares.

Walking up behind him, she finally sees what he was fiddling with:

A finger blade of a War Shadow.

For just a moment, Ryu couldn't believe what she's seeing.

Floor Six? John has managed to get to the Sixth Floor solo after a week?

Instead of feeling impressed, she felt something sink in her stomach.

Was this man in front of her trying to get himself killed? Did he value his life so little that he would throw himself over and over into the Dungeon with no regard for himself?

"John," She spoke up and he turns around to look up at her with a frown, his brown eyes with blackish bags underneath squinting at her and quickly hides the finger blade he was holding.

"Ryu? Where did you come from?"

"The kitchen. Here, your order," She places the two mugs on the table and looks at him, sparks practically firing off between her sky blue eyes and his brown eyes.

"That'll be two thousand Valis."

Ryu tries to not let Johns' smirk annoy and he reaches into that strange pouch of his only to pull out four gold coins.

"Keep the change," John told her in a voice that each word dripped with smugness.

Snatching the four coins of the table, she counted them out.

And then she looked back at John, with a stupid grin on his face stretching out his annoying face like no other.

She felt her ears twitch ever so slightly.

"Mama Mia, I'm taking my break."

"Wait, what?" John drops his smirk and they both look to Mama Mia who gives Ryu a grin and a nod.

"Ya got 5 minutes, don't waste 'em."

With just a nod, Ryu goes to the other side of John's table and snatches out an empty chair that one of the other Adventurers had left, sitting it to the opposite of John and sitting down.

"Is there a reason you're doing this?"

Without answering, Ryu quickly grabs one of the water-filled mugs and takes a small drink of it.

John simply looks at her with a raised brow.

"You looked pathetic and sad sitting here by yourself while others around you are celebrating, so I simply thought to keep you company."

To her slight surprise, John smirks and lets out a chuckle, "Well, you see, this nosy woman forced me to sit here and I didn't want to disappoint her."

"Then you must not very be good with dealing with women."

"Hahahaha!" John lets out a short laugh, giving Ryu a wide smile, "Trust me, I won't make the same mistake."

"Hmmm," Ryu hums and looks at the closed first where John held the finger blade, "I heard you use magic. Is that true?"

John gives her a shrug, "Don't know where you heard that from, but yeah. I'm a spell caster. Thought it was obvious really, considering my lack of armour and weapons."

"You also lack a staff," Ryu points out to which John just shrugs, "If you are a mage, you should have a staff."

"I make do without one," John shrugs before giving Ryu a curious look, "Why are you so interested now?"

Ryu lifts up her mug to her lips, the cool water flowing down her throat before setting it back down and giving John a glare.

"Because you've been on the Sixth Floor and you have only been an Adventurer for a week."

Though she said it quietly, she noticed the Goddess on the other table suddenly zero in on John, though he doesn't seem to notice or care.

"And you know that how exactly?"

Though his tone of voice was of casual dismissiveness, Ryu notices his shoulders suddenly becoming stiff and his closed fist tightens until his knuckles turn white.

"In your fist is a black finger blade that only drops from a War Shadow that spawns on the Sixth Floor," John's brown eyes dart towards said closed fist, "I stood behind you while you played around with it."

John bites his bottom lip, his eyes darting madly to his tightly closed fist before letting out a big sigh. Opening up his fist, he holds up the black finger blade that Ryu saw moments ago.

"You caught me," John shrugs, his shoulders now sagging, "This thing dropped from a War Shadow that ambushed me near the start of the Sixth Floor. You know what I can use it for?"

"...You mean to tell me you don't know?"

"Should I?"

"Yes," Ryu bluntly says to the idiot in front of her, "I know you aren't from around here, but do you really know so little? Do you not have an adviser at the Guild?"

"I do, but...I may have just listened on how to kill the monsters and the Floors than anything else. My bad on that part, I'll admit."

A lucky idiot.

The person in front of her is nothing but more than a lucky idiot spell caster.

Even if his God didn't care about him, should they at least not explain the basics of being an Adventurer to him before sending him to the Dungeon every day, non-stop?

Letting out a tremendous sigh, Ryu drinks the last of her water and glares at John.

"Monsters can drop certain parts of their bodies if they have an unusually high concentration of energy in said body part. For War Shadows, that would be a finger blade. If you want my suggestion, exchange it for Valis at the Guild or Babel."

"Hmmm...thanks for telling me," John gives her a small smile, "Maybe I'll make back the four thousand I paid?"

"That is your own fault," Ryu tells John who just smirks at her, "And I have one last suggestion for you."

"Oh? And what is that?"

"Join a better Familia."

For the first time since Ryu met John, she saw his whole body freeze solid, but only for a moment.

"And what makes you think I'll do that, exactly?"

Ryu Lion thought of many reasons. But what little she knew of John, she knows that those reasons would matter little to him.

Except for one.

"Because whatever Familia you're currently a part of is just holding you back."

John blinks at her, not having expected such an answer. He leans back on his chair, making it creak loudly.

"You do know I'm the only member of my Familia, right? By that logic, is the one not holding me back is just me?"

"Exactly," Ryu bluntly tells John, her piercing eyes going right through him, "I don't think I've met someone so arrogant and full of themselves that they think they can take on the Dungeon by themselves."

Unphased by the insults, John simply raises his brow, "Can you even switch over to another Familia? Is that a thing that happens?"

"I can answer that!"

Ryu tries not to smirk as John jumps so hard, he nearly falls out of his chair and snaps his head towards the third person that had suddenly barged in on their conversation and had swung a chair down to sit at their side.

With bright red hair tied up into a small ponytail and closed eyes, Ryu knew who this Goddess was, a mischievous smile seemingly plastered permanently onto her face.

"Yes? Can I help you?" John asks Loki, Goddess of trickery and mischief, a frown on his face meeting her permeant grin.

"Sorry for buttin' in, but I couldn't help but overhear ya conversation and got really curious! Hey, can I just see that finger blade? Just for a teensy tiny bit?"

"Ryu, yer breaks over!" Mama Mia suddenly shouts over the din of Adventurers, cooking numerous meals.

Ryu felt like there was some sort of joke at work.

But she had no choice.

Getting up and saying her goodbyes, she left John alone with Loki.

With the hopes of John realising who he's dealing with.

.

* * *

.

Who the hell is this chick?

I think she was on the table next to me? Maybe?

I glance over to her table where they were currently busying drinking or glancing over to me.

One girl with long blond hair was just staring blankly at me outright.

I feel like this gonna end badly for me.

Maybe a shiv in my ribs, at best.

The weird red-headed woman sitting next to me just grins at me, waiting for me to show her the finger blade.

Something about her is...off. It's the same kinda feeling from the woman this morning by the book shop.

Are they related? They look nothing alike though.

"And if I do show you? What do I get out of it?" I ask the red-headed woman with closed eyes. As if it was somehow possible, her grin widens.

"Oh~? You wanna make a deal then? Then how about this," The woman leans in closer, her eyes widening slightly, "Along with telling ya how to change Familia's, I'll tell ya something else as well!"

...I don't really like this. At all.

Maybe I'm just not a people person, but this seems shady as fuck.

But still…

How can it hurt?

Putting the black talon on the table, I slide it across to the somewhat scary woman and she eagerly picks it up with childlike glee and holds it up to the light.

She tries pulls and bend it to no avail, but the talon remains rigid.

"Just one last test! Don't worry, I'll be right back!"

Before I could react, the woman stands up and goes back to her table, waving the thing around.

Oh God I just got robbed.

Keeping an eye on the black talon, the small blond guy takes a hold of it and gives it a look over before glancing at me. He gives the woman a nod and says some words I can't make out.

The woman, with a wider grin, turns back and walks over to my table, throwing my finger blade back on the table.

"This isn't some elaborate ruse to rob me is it?" I ask the woman who laughs in my face as she plops back down onto the chair and I grab the black talon back.

"Hahaha! No, no, that thing ain't worth the trouble," The woman waves me off with a grin, "My children find more valuable stuff daily than that thing-"

Children?

"-But I have to give ya props. Reaching the Sixth Floor in a week, well...That's pretty impressive."

There was...something in her voice. Something I couldn't for the life of me place. And her grin was different.

It was like looking at a shark.

"Where are you going with this exactly? And who are you?"

"Name's Loki," The woman grins at me like there was nothing wrong, "Nice to meetcha John."

Loki.

The Norse God of trickery, mischief and guile. The God who fathered Fenrir and Jourmangander and brought about Ragnarok.

Is sitting in front of me, currently grinning at me.

As a woman.

"Oh, that's a pretty intense stare, John~" The woman who calls herself Loki laughs at my face, "Sorry to shatter ya hopes, but yer not my type~"

"You still haven't told me what you want," I tell her, trying to keep the quiver out of my voice but it comes out unnatural and stilted.

"Ah, well, let's rewind a bit then. There are three main ways for a person to switch Familias: The first one is a mutual agreement between the Adventurers and Gods in question, second is a War Game between Familias with the Adventurers in question on the line."

I have no idea what a War Game is, but I can take a pretty good guess.

"And the third?"

"Well, ya see, that's a bit more interestin'," The trickster God grins at me, "If an Adventurer wants to jump ship to another Familia, for whatever reason, all that's really needed is consent, ya see. Not by the God, but by the person with the Falna. So, if say a certain Adventurer that's been thrown away by their God wants to join another Familia…"

"Hmm," I let out a grunt, "And what was the other thing you said you would tell me?"

Loki's grin dips ever so slightly before perking right back up.

"How do ya plan on paying the Familia Tax without ya God?"

"...What?" I say aloud as the word as the world turns grey around me.

Tax? There's a fucking tax?!

Come to think about it, Eina has been asking about my 'God' recently…

My 'God' that doesn't exist.

"The Familia Tax is what a Familia pays to the Guild for their services," Loki's grin stretches as every word that slithers out of her mouth like some sort of snake, "If ya don't pay it, ya gonna get blacklisted by the Guild and ya won't be allowed in the Dungeon any more."

"How much does it cost?" The words spill out in the haste as my heart feel like it is beating a hundred miles a minute, "If it isn't that much I can-"

"Ah ah ah," Loki wags her finger at me, "It doesn't work like that. Ya God has to sort out this stuff. I mean, the God runs the Familia, ya know? Even if ya the only member of your Familia, maybe even the Captain, it's ya God that runs it and handles the administrative side. If they can't handle that much, what's the point of them even having a Familia in the first place?"

...This is it.

This is what I get for lying non-stop.

How long do I have left? Eina has already asked about 'Yahweh'. I thought she was being nosy, I didn't realise she was talking about fucking taxes!

"So," Loki breaks me out of my stupor and shift my unfocused eyes onto her stupid grin, "What's the name of ya God?"

"...Why do you care?"

I hate how quiet my voice was.

"Because I wanna shit talk the idiot who's sending ya to die," Loki tells me, her ever-present grin stretching, "And can't even run a Familia properly. Ya know, I've heard about ya magic."

"Nice segue," I mutter scornfully to the grinning trickster Goddess.

"Now, I've only heard a few rumours but tell me this; Do ya really use the rock of the Dungeon for a spell of yers?"

Again, there was that...something in her voice.

But I can place it now.

It's greed. Pure, simple, greed. Her eyes are kept shut but I'm sure if they were open, the way she would look at me would be no different than a wolf watching a sheep.

At this point, I don't have anything to lose. Worst comes to worst?

I just go and live in the Dungeon and run like fuck.

"Yes, what about it?"

"Heh, ya don't have any idea, do ya?" Loki chuckles and leans back on her chair, "So...are ya gonna tell me their name or not?"

I remain silent though whether by choice or because my throat was tightening each moment, I don't know.

Do I lie again? Lying is what got me into this mess to begin with. And I won't be lying to a human, an elf or whatever.

I'll be lying to a Goddess about a God that I _fucking _made up because I didn't want to join a Familia.

"...You wouldn't know them."

"Because they don't exist?"

I snap my head to stare at Loki so fast, I'm pretty sure it could be heard all over the pub.

"Let me tell ya something, brat," Loki's shark-like grin sends a chill down my spine, "Gods can tell when ya lying and ya not nearly good enough to lie to me."

"I haven't said a single lie-"

"That's a lie and we both know that," Loki points her finger at me, "But if ya want an example...ya said yer the only member of your Familia. That was a lie, wasn't it? How can ya be a member of a Familia that doesn't exist?"

I could feel sweat drip on my back and pool in my palms as they open and close. I don't say anything, my lips thin and shut.

"Want another?" Loki grins and leans in so very uncomfortably close to me.

"We both know that John isn't yer name."

My mind goes blank. The cheers of the Adventurers fade into the background, into nothingness. The only sound that I could hear is the rapid racing of my heart, my quick shallow breathes. The world spins as I feel a sort dizziness take over me.

"Now, don't get me wrong," Loki finally gets away from me and I begin to get my breath under control, "Everyone has their secrets and that's fine, but~ Ya need a better cover story if ya wanna do whatever it is you want in the Dungeon. It's kinda lucky that ya met me first and not someone like Freya. Trust me, she would've torn you apart."

"Get to the fucking point already," I spat out towards her though her grin remained unchanged.

"How about ya join my Familia?"

"And if I refuse? You'll, what, blackmail me? Out me to the rest of Orario?"

"Pfft, of course not," Loki waves off my accusation like nothing, "I wouldn't ever stoop that low and If I go around telling people, other Gods are gonna take notice and that'll be a pain. Nah, trust me when I say that yer secrets are safe with me. Can't vouch for the other Gods though."

Great, that's really fucking comforting.

"...Why do you even care? Just because I reached Floor Six in a week?"

"Heh, 'in a week' he says. Ya really must be out of town if ya don't get why that's so insane and I mean that in every sense of the word. It should've taken you months to reach those floors solo. But it didn't, something you admitted yourself and that little finger proves it, whether ya want it to or not. Looks like ya reached yer peak though."

I hate to admit, but she has a point. And so does Ryu. If I want to get deeper into the Dungeon, I have but two choices:

Either join a Familia. Or get stronger.

And that's not even getting into being blacklisted by the Guild because of that _fucking _tax.

But…

I glare at the _infuriating _grin on her stupid fucking face. I feel heat raise up within my face and I grip the table edge hard.

"No."

Loki's grin drops and it drops fast. Her eyes widen enough for me to see her red pupils albeit barely.

"If I join a Familia," I spat out every word like bile at the God, "It will be because I want to join that Familia. Not because you or anyone coercing me to join their little group just because of a secret that I have."

"At the rate ya goin', you'll die," Loki states flatly, none of her levity from before and her grin from before now gone, "Do ya-"

"That's my problem, not yours," I spat out towards the Goddess who eyes open slightly at my words, covered in spite and bile, "This conversation is over."

Without waiting for her answer, I stand up from my chair and send it careering back.

I don't look at anyone as I walk back upstairs.

In a daze, I make my way to my room. It took me a while to take the key out of my inventory and shove it into the keyhole of my door.

Dragging my feet behind me, I walk through to my small room and securely locking my door.

My heavy body plops down onto the bed. I stare at the wooden floorboards, the inside of my head swirling around like a sloshing glass full of swamp water.

"Oh, I am so fucked."

I put my heavy head in my hands and I try to think of something, _anything, _for some way out of this.

The first thing is that if Loki was lying to me or not.

But...if the Loki of this world is like anything of my world, then I don't think they would lie.

Loki is a trickster God, but I don't think _they've _ever outright lied. Play around with words and with rules, yes, but never stooping so low as to outright lie.

Of course, that's presuming my Loki and this Loki is anything alike.

This Loki being...female caught me off guard, but Loki has been known to shapeshift into different genders and even different species.

Hell, that's how Sleipnir came about.

I don't think this will be a common occurrence. I hope.

Should I have taken her offer? She isn't wrong.

I know when I'm beaten. These War Shadows are just too fast for me to deal with en masse. I can take one, maybe two, but that's only because I let myself get so close to death.

If it wasn't for this 'Gamer' thing, I would be dead before I even set foot in Floor Two.

And there's this tax…

I thought of myself working for the Guild by putting my life at risk and getting these stupid magic stones and in a way, I am.

Except this tax isn't for me. It's for my 'Familia'.

This 'Familia Tax' must be so Familia's don't become richer than the Guild they're supposed to be working for and if they don't pay for it, they're blacklisted from the Guild and from the Dungeon so they don't make any more money from it.

"Fuck. Fuck!"

I slam my fist hard against my knee though I don't feel any pain. The thought of running away inside the Dungeon cross my mind…

But I'll die then. Loki is right, if I push any further, I will die.

Then I won't see home again.

My brothers, mom and dad…

They'll be okay without me. They're strong people.

Doesn't change how I feel about never seeing them again.

But what choice do I have?

Join Loki's Familia? As much as I hate to admit, that would solve nearly all my problems in a neat little package.

The image of ever-present grin flashes through my head. My hand clasped my knee in a death grip.

No. I refuse to slink back like a _fucking dog_ just because she found out I was lying about everything. I refuse to let someone like her dictate to _me _about _my _choices.

Cutting off my nose to spite my face, as my dear old brother would say.

Though in this case, it's more of putting a barrel of a gun in my mouth and pulling the trigger to spite the other person saying I won't do it.

Slowly and gently, I lay down on the bed, my head still swirling around.

First thing, I have to see Eina again. I need to talk to her about this tax and see what I can do about it.

If worst comes to worst…

Guess I'm moving.

.

* * *

.

A couple of weeks later, I got a letter from the Guild asking for me to make an appearance and talk about regarding my 'Familia'.

"John, I need to speak with you."

That was the first thing my adviser, Eina, said to me when I walked into the Guild.

And though I may have no experience with women in a romantic capacity, I do know enough that those words are words that no man wants to hear.

Eina led me to out back and ushered me into an empty room with two sofas and a small tea table in between. I sat down on one sofa and Eina sat opposite me with a letter in her hand.

"Before we start, would you like anything to drink? It is still quite early in the morning,"

Eina is a cute thing, an elf with shorter ears than Ryu though and shoulder-length brown hair. Her slim body went nicely with the suit she wore as someone that worked at the Guild and behind her thin-rimmed glasses, warm forest green eyes stare at me.

Though now, considering how worried she looks so worried, it didn't really have the same effect and I'm still reeling from last night with my encounter with Loki.

"No thank you," I weakly smile at Eina, "Come on, Eina. Hit me with the bad news already."

She bites her bottom lip but gives me a nod nonetheless. She takes the letter and slides it towards me on the table.

I grab it and open up the letter.

It's a notice.

It doesn't say anything that I wasn't prepared for.

Except for one thing.

"I have a day?"

"I'm sorry John," Eina shifts her eyes away from mine, "But, it's been a almost a month now and your God has yet to send us anything. If they don't show up or send us a letter about the state of their Familia, even if it is just you as the only member, we can't allow them the services of the Guild if they don't abide by our rules."

Today is my last day.

My last day I'll be allowed in the Dungeon.

"And...there is another thing."

Letting out a sigh, my shoulders sag as I feel something heavy press upon them. I just give Eina a wordless nod.

"As of now...I'm afraid I'm no longer your adviser."

"...Because of this?" I wave my notice around.

Eina just gives me a nod.

I suppose that makes sense. Advisers are supposed to advise new Adventurers.

Of which I only have a day left.

"John, I'm-"

"Don't be," I hold my hand up to stop her, "This...this isn't your fault."

It's mine. This is all my fault.

Eina bites her bottom lip, her eyes darting across my face and the letter on the table. She lets out a little sigh and pushes up her glasses, her face writ with determination.

"There is another way for you to still be an Adventurer, John."

"...Join another Familia?"

Eina looks surprised for a second, but she quickly gives me a nod, "Yes, if you join another Familia, then this notice will become void and you won't be blacklisted. It doesn't have to be a big famous Familia, any will do but they have to be registered with the Guild which almost every Familia is."

"But…" I feel cold sweats roll down my back, "But what about my God now? If I just upped and left, won't that just cause trouble if he comes here?"

"Normally yes, but if there is consent between you and your new God, you can just leave," Eina looks at me with her forest green eyes, her back straight and narrow, "John, your God isn't even in Orario, are they?"

"...If I say no, will that get me into even more trouble?" I grumble though Eina just smiles at me.

"At this point, I very much doubt it. But still, if your God doesn't care enough to be in Orario, then even if he does come here and raise trouble, it is very likely the other Gods will just laugh him out. You're the only member of your Familia so he won't even be able to propose a War Game if he wanted to."

Loki's grin bites at the back of my mind like a shark eating chum. If I go there, I have no doubt she'll take me. Being under her thumb after basically telling her to go and fuck herself will no doubt get her jollies off.

I ignore it.

"I thought you weren't supposed to be my adviser anymore? Seems like you're giving me an awful lot of advice now."

"Hmph," Eina smiles and pushes up her glasses, "Technically no. But an advisers job is about advising about the Dungeon. This is about Familia's, not the Dungeon."

"Heh, sure whatever," I roll my eyes and smile at Eina, "If it isn't too much trouble, can you tell me if you're advising someone else now?"

"Well...I can't tell you much now," Eina frowns at me, "But his name is Bell Cranel. He signed up as an Adventurer a couple of weeks ago after you did...You two actually quite similar, come to think about it."

"Oh? In what way?"

"You both ignore my advice and go down on lower floors than you're meant to," Eina tells me dryly and I couldn't stop the laughter that bubbled within me.

"Ha! Now that's funny," I let out a sigh as I felt myself smile for the first time in ages, "...I'm sorry for causing you so much trouble, Eina. Thanks for all your help."

"You're welcome, John. Do you plan on…?"

"...We'll see. If I do change Familia's, you'll be the first to know."

We stand up from the sofa's and we make our way outside but I feel something grab my shoulder just before I open the door.

I look behind me to see Eina looking up at me, biting her bottom lip.

"John, don't do anything stupid in the Dungeon. I won't say I understand how you feel, but please don't get yourself killed in there."

I feel my lips curl into a smile and give Eina a nod, "Don't worry Eina. I don't plan on dying anytime soon."

All I get in return is just a sigh.

.

* * *

.

"**Earth Spikes." **

Three stakes of stone shoot towards the ugly green Goblins, each piercing through their skulls. The Kolobod runs towards me, it's maw opening up and showing off its teeth.

It gets an **Earth Spike **down its throat along with two others in the eyes. Its body instantly turns to ash and its magic stone drops.

Letting out a sigh, I get my knife out of my inventory and start cutting open the Goblins.

I shouldn't be in the Dungeon today. My mind isn't where it should be and if I plan on going down to the Sixth Floor, I need to be at 100%.

Which I'm most certainly not.

I suppose this it then.

Without anyone noticing, I left the key on the bar along with 6000 Valis for the troubles. Barely stayed there for a month so it's only fair that I pay what I'm due.

I don't think anyone noticed, but at this rate, I don't think it matters if they do.

I don't need to eat. I don't need to drink. I don't need to sleep.

I can, in theory, live in the Dungeon.

In theory.

In reality, I'll probably die from a War Shadow.

The image of Loki grinning flashes through my mind before I force it back.

Wiping away the blood on my knife, I shove the magic stones from the Goblins into my pouch and ignore the notification I received.

Now for-

"_**UROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORARRRRRRRRRR!"**_

What in the unholy name of fuck was that.

"Aieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!"

A girl? Is a girl being chased by a monster?

What am I saying, of course they're being chased by a fucking monster! This is the Dungeon!

And going how by the sounds of colossal footsteps that sounds like they're shaking the whole bloody Dungeon, it's coming from straight ahead.

With each bone shaking footstep and girly screaming, I feel myself freeze up, my every hair is standing up stiff.

Then I see it.

It was the person being chased I saw first.

They weren't a girl. At least, I don't think they are.

What they are though, is a fucking kid.

Younger than most people I've seen, his head is full of pure snow white hair and his young, almost child-like face is currently written with nothing but terror. His ruby eyes are wide and round like dinner plates, filled with horror.

Then I saw what was chasing him.

Must've been 3-4 meters tall, maybe taller. It almost reached the ceiling with its towering height and its two bull horns could scrape against it. It has the head of a bull with glowing red eyes and cloven feet, its whole body little more than rippling inhuman muscle and coarse brown fur.

A Minotaur.

A _fucking _Minotaur is here.

And right in front of me.

In a split second, the kid with white hair and the rampaging monster behind him run across the hallway and out of my sight, though their screams and roars are still ringing out across the walls of the Dungeon.

I should hide. I should run.

I should do literally anything that will get me away from this thing.

"_John, don't do anything stupid in the Dungeon. I won't say I understand how you feel, but please don't get yourself killed in there."_

It doesn't involve me. I can't help every person that comes across my way and I need to look out for myself if I want to get back home.

"_At the rate ya goin', you'll die," _

I can barely kill a War Shadow. What can I do against a Minotaur? I'll be doing nothing but putting myself in danger.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"

That was the kid again.

My body was already moving before my brain caught up to what I was doing.

I come sprinting across the corner, almost losing my footing, and finally getting a good look at the situation.

The kid had backed himself into a dead end, flat on his ass and his back against the wall. The Minotaur loomed over him like a spectre of fury and death, clouds billowing out of its flaring nostrils.

The thought of running away comes across my mind for a fleeting moment.

The kid with ruby red pupils looks at me, wild and pleading. His whole body shook like nothing else.

He's so young. Too young to be here.

"**Fireball!" **

I thrust out my hand at the back of the head of the Minotaur and a ball of blazing fire comes shooting out like a bullet of flame.

A loud explosion rocks my bones and the heat sears across my face as the black smoke obscures my vision.

The Minotaur turns to me, no worse for wear. Its glowing red eyes, devoid of anything but rage and bloodthirst. All directed to me.

I lock eyes with the kid. His mouth is agape and his eyes wide.

His body wasn't shaking nearly as bad as before.

"Kid, run!"

"_**UROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORARRRRRRRRRR!"**_

That was my cue to start running down the hallway. I don't wait for the kid to say something.

I run with death nipping and roaring at my heels.

.

.

* * *

**And here is the Danmachi Fic that I promised and what won the poll. Now, before anything, I should probably set up a few things:**

**The SI will be joining a Familia and getting a Falna. This is NOT a power-up for him in a certain sense. It won't increase his stats or make his spells hit harder or anything like that. **

**The reason for this is pretty simple. While I did plan for the SI to be solo, doing research and reading through the Novels, it came to me that quite a few things crop up that it really wouldn't work. The Lower Floors are insane and the SI has very little ways to deal with them by himself, even with the Gamer Mode. You could argue that he needs a party more than a Familia and I would agree, but the SI joining a Familia ties in nicely with what I want to do with this fic.**

**And let's talk about the Gamer Mode. This was probably the hardest thing about making this fic.**

**I wanted to show how beneficial such a thing is but also how much trouble it can cause. He doesn't need to eat, sleep or drink and people tend to take notice if you go four days without doing 2 of those things. His inability to feel pain is a massive burden as the SI can't really grasp the concept of how close to death he is except for a number on a screen.**

**All this allows him to reach the Sixth Floor but it also makes him think he can just bum rush the Dungeon which you just can't do. And with that all combined, you have someone with a very nearly suicidal attitude. **

**In any case, this is the first time I've written something like this. Tell me what you think, if I did it bad or good or whatever. **

**If any of you reading this are wondering about my other stories, don't worry. Nothing is cancelled. I'm just deciding to write what I want rather than what I feel obligated to do. **

**Have a good one you guys.**

**UPDATE: Some glaring plot holes involving the timeline were pointed out to me, I've now increased the amount of time between Loki's party and when the SI got to the Guild.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Is it wrong to crawl my way back home, one dungeon floor at a time?**

**.**

* * *

"_**UROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORARRRRRRRRRR!"**_

Bell Cranel was not having a good day.

He had entered the Dungeon in hopes of a great many things.

The boy dreamt of romance. Of cute girls and mayhaps even older women, these thoughts put inside of his head by his grandfather and exacerbated by his own young, naive and slightly corrupt mind.

He wanted to grow up and become a proper man. He wanted to become a legend like the stories he grew up.

Bell Cranel wanted a romance.

Fantasizing about a harem of young beautiful women as well is just part and parcel for being a young man. And who knows? Maybe even rescue a young maiden and fall in love?

Is that so wrong?

"_**UROOOOOOOOOORARRR!"**_

As the bullhead monster known as the Minotaur chases him throughout the labyrinthian corridors and stone hallways known as the Dungeon, mere inches away from the rampant furious rampant bull monster, Bell Cranel can only come to one conclusion:

"_**UROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORARRR!"**_

Yes. Yes, these thoughts were wrong.

The hoof of the Minotaur comes crashing down behind him and Bell is sent flying forward, missing him by a small margin.

Face planting into the stone cracks of the Dungeon floor, Bell quickly rolls onto his back to see a cloven hoof just about to drop on him. With quick, rabbit-like reflexes, he rolls out of the way and scoots backwards frantically.

Only to have his back hit a wall. A dead end.

This is it, he realised.

He was going to die because of his naive thoughts. He was going to die and leave his Goddess all alone just like she was before they met.

The Minotaur looms over him, its shadow making it seem darker than it really is and its large glowing red eyes all the brighter. The Minotaur leans in close, close enough that its hot breath and snorts could be felt on Bell's face.

His teeth chatter uncontrollably and tears rolled down his cheeks freely. The Minotaur snout splits into a facsimile of a broken grin and raises his hoof above Bell, his body shaking all by itself.

Then Bell saw someone run around the corner.

It was not a grand entrance or even a graceful one. They ran around the corner so fast, they almost tripped up before catching themselves.

It was a man, Bell realised.

A portly looking man with black hair and wide brown eyes that had blackish bags underneath. He wore strange clothes that Bell wasn't familiar with, certainly not armour by the look of it.

He didn't even have a weapon.

Bell and the stranger locked eyes for a brief moment. Bell wants to shout at the man to run away and save himself but all that comes out of his mouth is a pathetic whimper. He pleads with his wet eyes for the man to run.

The stranger's jaw locks hard and his hands clench tightly into fists.

"**Fireball!"**

The man throws out his hand towards the Minotaur and from it, a ball of raging fire shoots out and hits the Minotaur in the back of the head.

A loud _crack _echoes around Bell and the feeling of scorching winds blast him in the face.

The Minotaur's inhuman grin falls. His hoof brought up high is smashed next against Bell and misses him by mere inches. The looming bull-man turns around, unhurt but not unbothered by the magic fireball, and faces down the stranger who looks back at the Minotaur, taking a shaky step back and his eyes wide as if he couldn't believe what he just did.

"Kid, run!"

_**"UROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORARRRRRRRRRR!"**_

That was all the stranger said to Bell as he suddenly turns around run with the Minotaur chasing after him, having forgotten about Bell and blinded by fury and rage at being attacked.

As the man ran with the Minotaur rampaging behind him, Bell Cranel's head was awash in a sea of thoughts that all jumbled together.

He had been saved. He had the chance to run and live. To see his Goddess again, safe and sound.

The only thoughts that ever crosses his mind are about the man who saved him.

The man who may have just given his life so he could live.

Bell Cranel's body moved on its own. He forces one foot in front of the other, slowly at first until he picked up speed and then running straight towards the roars of the Minotaur and the rapid expletive stream of swears of the man.

His grandfather used to tell him that the hero always saves the girl. But what kind of hero doesn't repay a favour?

Bell Cranel wouldn't realise that his hands stopped shaking until much later.

The comforting weight of his knife held within in his grip gave him comfort, no matter how small or little it truly was.

Running after the Minotaur and the stranger, Bell runs through the myriad and confusing hallways of the Dungeon, going deeper and deeper and the roars getting louder and louder.

"Move, you stupid cunt! Get the fuck out of the way!" The man yells at someone that Bell couldn't see. He sprints across the corner to see the Minotaur had chased the man all the way back to the entrance of the Sixth Floor.

With a wordless yell, Bell Cranel sprints towards the Minotaur, knife at the ready.

Only to be stopped as he noticed something strange about the Minotaur.

A thin line had cut across the Minotaur diagonally, from the neck all the way down to its thigh, cutting through its thick pectorals like they were nothing.

"_**Ughhh?"**_

The Minotaur made a strange sort of noise and looks down on its self. As if it couldn't comprehend what just happened to it.

Then the blood starts spraying.

"_**GWAGGHHHH?!**_

With a surprised dying roar, the raging monster known as the Minotaur which neither the stranger's magic nor Bell's knife couldn't even scratch is sliced up into little more than chunks of meat, its red viscera spraying over Bell like a baptism of blood.

And then he sees her.

Long, blond hair that seems like it was spun from real gold and a thin petite frame that radiates femininity, her chest constrained by her armour and light blue clothing. An emblem was engraved on her armour and that same emblem graces her graves and razor-sharp sabre. Her doe, gold eyes staring at him and he felt his heart almost explode at her stare.

"Are you two...okay?"

With a quiet, almost ethereal, voice, Aiz Wallenstein stands between the two male Adventurers.

Bell felt his heart go _thump thump_ and his face heat up at the sight of this goddess that stood in front of him. Any moment, he felt like his legs would give way underneath him.

No, he was not okay, Bell Cranel thought.

This was definitely not okay, the young boy with snow white hair thought.

His soul was no longer his. It was hers.

Bell Cranel had fallen in love with Aiz Wallenstein.

A member of the Loki Familia and the person who had achieved the highest rank out of all the female races, Level Five.

Bell Cranel came to a different conclusion to his question:

Is it wrong to pick up girls in a Dungeon?

The answer?

No. No, it isn't wrong.

.

* * *

.

Holy shit, what the fuck just happened?

One moment I was running for my life from that thing called a Minotaur and then I ran into this girl who looks vaguely familiar. I may have been a bit abrasive towards her, but I did have a Minotaur right on my goddamn tail.

Then she proceeded to kill it and turn it into shish kebab faster than it takes my heart to beat.

Which, considering its currently hammering in my chest, is pretty bloody fast.

"Uhmmm...are you sure you two okay?" The young blond girl asks again, her worried stare that keeps changing between me and the kid currently dripping with Minotaur blood.

Which begs the question of why the hell is he here? I purposefully saved his scrawny little ass at the expense of my own and he comes back to fight the fucking thing that almost flattened him into a pancake?

He's alive though. I'm alive. I suppose that's all that matters in the end.

"I'm fine," I say, though not without a shaky voice, and I look over to the kid, his snow-white hair now drenched in black blood, "Kid? Are you hurt?"

"Eh!?" The kid squeaks and tears his intense gaze away from the girl to look at me with those ruby red eyes of his.

"I asked if you were hurt," I frown at the kid, "If you are, I can heal you if you want."

Now, I don't know how **Soothing Waters **reacts on other people, but I sure it'll work with the same basic principle.

Maybe. Hopefully.

"U-uh, no th-thank you!" The kid can't even look me or the girl in the eye and suddenly spins around and runs off without warning.

"Thanksforsavingmegoodbye!"

I could barely piece together what he said in that rush of words, but I think he said thanks?

Just as he runs around the corner, I could've swore he trips and lets out a squawk or something similar.

"What a bloody day…" I mutter under my breath and the blond girl turns to look at me, "Thank you for-"

"Pfthahahahaha!" A sudden burst of laughter from up ahead interrupts me and I turn my head to see someone walking towards us.

He was a man with light grey hair and amber eyes. He has some sort of tattoo across his right eye and…

Dog ears? And a tail? Where have I-

.._Oh._

These two were with Loki. Back at the Hostess of Fertility a couple of weeks ago.

Ah, fuck me sideways.

At the man with white dog ears laughter, the blond girl's face lights up in a blush and she glares right at him.

"Did ya see that kid trip over himself when ya looked at him, Aiz?!" The man says in hysterics, barely able to get a word out before he starts howling with laughter.

I don't see what's so funny about a kid being traumatized by a near-death experience, but hey. Whatever floats your boat, mutt.

"Thanks for saving the kid and me," I get the blond girl's attention and give her a brief nod, "I don't really want to think about what could've happened if you didn't get here in time."

Without waiting for her to say anything, I turn around and go towards-

I feel something clasp on my shoulder and I try my best not shoot off any **Earth Spikes.**

"You can't go down."

I turn my head to see the blond girl's face close to mine with a slightly worried frown.

Before I could snap at her, I bite down on my tongue. This girl just saved my life and not to mention just killed that beast over there like it was nothing.

"And why is that, exactly?"

"Because ya weak is one reason," The man behind the girl tells me bluntly, "Ya won't last long any further down in the Dungeon."

Well, that doesn't make much sense considering I've been down on the Sixth Floor by myself before but whatever I suppose.

Or…

"Are you telling me there are more of those bloody things down there?" I point to the pile of kibble that was the Minotaur the girl had chopped up.

It was only for a brief moment but I saw the man scowl if only for a second.

As if that wasn't enough evidence, the blond girl looks away as if in shame.

"Listen to me small fry, just leave the Dungeon and-"

"No," I interrupt the dog man who scowls at me even more, "I'm not going to inconvenience myself just because you guys made a mess of things."

This can't be happening. My last day, _my last fucking chance, _to go home and there are _bloody Minotaurs _roaming about underneath me.

"And why do ya think it's our fault, fat ass?" The dog man growls at me and gets right in my face, scowling and baring his teeth, walking slowly towards me.

"Because I'm not stupid," I snap at him, my hands clenching into fists, "I know what spawns on Floors One to Six and none of those Floors spawns fucking Minotaurs. You and your little 'Familia' screwed something up on the lower Floors and this is the result. Do what you want about it or not, but I _am _going to down into the Dungeon."

"It's not safe," The blond girl says softly, frowning at me and I couldn't help but scoff, "You could die."

"It's the Dungeon. Of course it isn't safe," I lock eyes with the growling mutt in front of me and I couldn't help but scowl at him, "My safety is my responsibility so worry about your own. Either clean up your mess or don't, but you're not going to stop me from going down."

Without waiting for an answer, I turn around and start making my way to the Sixth Floor as I feel the dog man's glare a hole through my head.

I didn't make it two steps before I feel something gently hit me in the back of my head.

**HP: 5**

**MP: 70**

What.

I slowly turn to meet face to face with the blond girl from before, looking up at me with wide eyes and even the dog guy looks shocked.

What took the cake of this situation was the handle of her sword currently at eye level.

"Did you…" I quickly reach the back of my head as if to check that I was bleeding or if I had a bump, "Did you just try to knock me out?"

"...Yes."

We stared at each awkwardly for far too long. It was like neither of us really knew how to react. I think she expected to knock me out but because of my 'Gamer Mode' I can't physically be knocked out.

I've been thrown against enough walls to know that little tidbit.

What she did do though, is nearly kill me.

"...Why did you just try that?"

"...You said your safety is your responsibility," The girl says softly and quietly as if trying to find the right emotions was something hard for her, "But...I saw that Minotaur chasing that person from before. And then I saw it chasing you…Why did you put yourself in danger?"

"That's different," I immediately say, "He's a kid. He shouldn't be here in the first place."

"Hmph," The dog man snorts, "Even if he is a weakling, he's an Adventurer. He should know what he signed up for."

"_He's a fucking kid," _I was surprised at how I intense that came out and going by how the mutt started blinking at me, so was he.

"He probably had his head filled with stupid stories or whatever about being an Adventurer and he decided to become one for some godforsaken reason. Say what you want about knowing what he signed up for, it doesn't change the fact that he almost died because of _something _you guys did_."_

The man scowls at me something fierce, his teeth bared like a growling dog, "In the Dungeon, anythin' can happen-"

"That doesn't make it okay!"

My shout echos out and beats against the stone walls, causing the girl to jump slightly. My beating heart and the rush of blood in my veins are almost overpowering in my ears.

"Try and justify it all you want, but at the end of day, whatever you and your Familia did on the Lower Floors caused this and it almost got a kid killed! You may not be responsible for his safety but you are responsible for almost getting him killed!"

I just don't get it.

How can he stand there and act like it's no big deal? How can he stand there and justify it by saying the Dungeon isn't safe? Like I don't know that already, like no one knows that already.

I've had enough of this place. I've had enough of everything.

With a deep breath, I calm myself down and ignore the two onlookers, bringing my hands up to me.

"**Soothing Waters."**

Just like last time, a large globule of water forms in between my hands and starts to spreads across my arms, the familiar bone-chilling sensation of icy cold waters causing me to hiss.

**HP: 25**

**MP:50**

"What the hell kinda spell is that?" The mutt asks me. The blond girl was staring at me intensely for some reason.

"The best kind of spell. The one that's none of your fucking business, you twat."

"You fat shi-!"

Before he could do anything, the girl steps in front of him and gives him a stern glare from which he backs down, but not before giving me a glare with gritted teeth that could kill me if it was filled with any more hate and scorn.

50 **MP **left. I can cast two **Soothing Waters **or five **Earth Spikes. **That's not even taking into account my now drastically lowered HP, low enough for a single hit from a War Shadow to kill me.

...I really can't win, can I?

A heavy sigh escapes my lips and my shoulders sag as if something was pressing down upon them.

Because of course she would try to knock me out. Because why wouldn't she? Why would she even care about some nobody?

"I'm going back up to the surface," I bluntly tell the two Adventurers in front of me, the girl looking at me with wide surprised eyes, "That spell I just casted along with the other spell I used on the Minotaur means I'm too drained for Floor Six."

And it was true. I can't risk waiting for my **MP **to regenerate, especially with a possible Minotaur or even Minotaurs running around. And if I was honest to myself…

The **Fireball **from earlier already took a big chunk out of my **MP. **I was probably screwed over the moment I threw it.

I know when I'm beaten. And if this isn't being beaten, I don't know what is.

I had my chance to go back home.

And I lost it.

But…

That kid is alive. He has a family to return to. A mum and a dad like anyone else. They won't have to bury an empty coffin because their son didn't return home one day.

It could be worse, I think. I think I could've done a lot worse.

My shoulders start to feel like they're full of lead. For the first time since coming here, I just want to sleep for the sake of resting instead of passing the time.

Ironic that I had to be homeless to feel that again.

"What's your name?" I ask the girl suddenly who blinks at me with those big gold pupils of hers, "I would at least like to know of the person I owe my life to and the woman who tried to knock me out."

"O-oh!" The girl blushes up something fierce and gives me a meek nod, "My name is...Aiz Wallenstein. Sorry for hitting you..."

The mutt lets out a 'tch!' but I ignore it for just giving Aiz a small smile and a laugh, "I've already said it, but thank you for saving that kid and me. Tell Loki that I'll have to decline her offer though. I don't think I'll be that good of a member anyway considering your friend here."

"Eh?! What the hell are yer talkin' about!?" Bete snarls at me from behind Aiz who just gives me a nod, "What offer?"

"Nothing important," I wave him off and start making my way to upstairs, "Happy hunting."

I want to go deeper into the Dungeon. I want it more than anything. But, that girl that barely comes above my shoulders almost killed me in one lovetap to the head. And that Minotaur would've killed me if it wasn't for her.

I can't do this. I simply can't.

It's liberating, in a way. To finally realise how much I was deluding myself into thinking I could conquer the Dungeon alone simply because of a few quirks.

But if it was so liberating…

Why do I have to force myself to walk back up? Why does every footstep filled like they're filled with lead?

Stupid question. I already know the answer. I wonder how far I could've gone if I just joined with a real Familia instead of getting impatient and just carried on lying non-stop?

"Wait," I hear Aiz's quiet voice say behind me and turn around to see her handing something to me.

"You forgot this...back at the tavern."

I hold out my hand to her, confused as to what she meant until she drops a familiar looking black talon onto my hand.

"Huh," I mutter as I look at the War Shadow's Finger Blade, "Why did you keep it?"

"Loki wanted...to give it back to you," Aiz tells me and I couldn't help but lift my brow.

Another trick from the trickster God?

Well, whatever. At this point, does it even matter?

"Thank you," I give Aiz a small nod and stuff the finger blade into my pouch and carry on going back up to the surface.

The finger blade burning a hole through my hoodie all the while.

.

* * *

.

In a room much like the one John and Eina sat in when handed his notice, Bell Cranel sits down with a nice warm towel around his shoulders and his adviser sitting opposite him.

"Miss Eina, there's someone else I want to ask you about…" Bell Cranel asks his adviser with an awkward smile. He already knew he was pushing boundaries with questions about Aiz Wallenstein but he needed to know about the stranger that saved him.

He didn't even want to know anything personal this time!

Miss Eina, his adviser at the Guild merely lifts her delicate eyebrow at him before letting out a sigh, "That depends, I suppose, on what you want to know. I hope this isn't about Miss Wallenstein again?"

"N-no!" Bell feels his face light furiously before trying and failing to calm down at the thought of his crush, "B-before that, there was someone else that saved me, He...he drew the Minotaur away from me."

Eina's frown softens as Bell describes the man in question, how he drew the ire of the Minotaur and how he possibly saved his life at the expense of his own had it not been for the intervention of Aiz Wallenstein.

As Bell tells Eina what the stranger looked like, her pretty face goes through a multitude of emotions, not least of all anger and worry. She lets out a tremendous sigh and her slender gloved hand clenches into a fist for a small moment.

"John, you stupid idiot…"

"Eh? Is that his name?"

Eina bites her lips in thought before she lets out another sigh and pushes up her glasses.

"The person you just described...He's probably John, an Adventurer that signed up about a month before you did. Only he wears the clothes you just described and he is a mage. I didn't expect him to be on the Fifth Floor though…"

John. Bell finally had the name of the man who saved him.

"Miss Eina, I know you're not supposed to tell me but...I really want to thank him. Can you tell me where his Familia is at least?"

Bell didn't know if John had left the Dungeon or if he was still in it but he at least wanted to leave a letter or something for him if just to express his thanks in some way.

Though going by how Eina bit her lip, that may not be possible.

"I'm sorry, Bell but John's Familia...from what I can tell and from what John told me, he's the only member and that's assuming he isn't...he isn't lying about that."

"Lying...about his Familia?" Bell mutters, unable to see what his adviser was getting at. To Bell, a Familia was like a family. Why would someone lie about their family?

Eina bites her lip yet again, her mind swirling with thoughts and what to tell Bell.

In truth, despite being his adviser, she and John had only talked at length about the Dungeon and what kind of monsters in there. It was a professional, almost cold, relationship as it should be, but...

She shouldn't get involved with an Adventurer so personally. Not when it has almost nothing to do with her.

Not again.

But, if she simply left it alone, what would happen? What would John do?

John always gave her warm thanks whenever she helped him. He never boasted even as a human mage, which is rare enough and he doesn't try to flirt with her or her coworkers needlessly. She was convinced he isn't a bad person or at the very least, non-antagonistic.

But he was hiding something about himself. Something he didn't want others to find and he went to such lengths as to lie about his God and his Familia.

Which neither exist.

He said he was part of 'Yahweh's Familia'.

She had never heard of Yahweh before and at first, didn't think much of it.

However, as time passed and she never received a letter or anything from this 'Yahweh' and John did nothing but say 'he's secretive' and kept dodging the issue.

And so she did some digging and found out that no one, not even the other Gods had heard about this 'Yahweh'.

The idea of a God using an alias crossed her mind, but she doesn't think the other Gods would even allow that to happen. And even if he did exist, the way he treated John was not only cruel but also completely non-sensical.

She heard the rumours about a lone stone flinging mage in strange clothes around the Fourth or Fifth Floor. The idea of such a person going so deep so fast was unheard. It practically spoke of suicidal overconfidence.

Or desperation.

He couldn't have gotten there by luck alone but his God did nothing to reign him in? Did they even do anything besides update his Falna?

And Eina keeps asking herself:

Would the blacklist even keep John from going into the Dungeon? If he was so desperate to reach whatever his goal was, would he let the law stop him?

She doesn't know.

And so, Eina Tulle makes her decision. Even if she isn't his adviser anymore, that doesn't mean she can't help him from killing himself.

"Tomorrow, due to a lack of involvement from his Familia and a lack of documents that are meant to come from his God, John will be blacklisted from the Guild and Adventuring as a whole because his 'Familia' is unable to pay the Familia Tax."

"...Eh?" Bell simply says as he didn't hear her the first time, "B-But why?! He didn't do anything wrong!"

"That's debatable, Bell," Eina says softly like an older sister trying to calm down her younger brother, "But John's God has been unable to prove that his Familia and by extension John himself are, by the Guild's standard, worth keeping around and supporting their endeavours. There's simply nothing I can do."

Bell's face drops as his heart sinks down to the depths. The person who had almost given his life to save his is to be thrown away like he was nothing.

He was alone. Just like how he was before he met Hestia.

Bell's hands tighten into hard fists, the knuckles turning white. His teeth clenched hard and the flames of determination flared to life in his rubellite eyes.

"There is something John can do though," Eina carries on talking and Bell snaps his eyes to hers, "If he joins a different Familia, a Familia that is known to the Guild...He won't be blacklisted as he is no longer part of the blacklisted Familia."

And like lightning, it struck Bell.

"So all that needs to happen is-!"

"-Is for John to simply join another Familia today, yes. If he is unable to find another Familia by tomorrow, it'll be too late though."

Bell bites his lips in thought but says no more. Both he and Eina silently got up from their sofas and make their way back to the Guild's front door.

At that moment, Bell made a choice.

Though they both may have been saved by Ainz Wallenstein, one of the strongest Adventurers in Orario, how could that be anything but pure luck? It was far more likely that they would've encountered other level 1 Adventurers. Would they have done the same as John and try to help?

He doesn't know. But he does know one thing.

"Miss Eina...would you know where John would be right now?"

His adviser gave him a small frown before letting out a sigh, "If I had to guess...He would still be in the Dungeon."

With a smile, the boy with snow white hair runs off, determination flooding his veins.

He needs to go back in the Dungeon and find John as soon as possible.

Hopefully without any Minotaurs this time...

.

* * *

.

Well, this could've gone better.

"**Earth Spikes!" **

I jump away from the three lunging Kobolds as the three sharp stakes of stone pin them against the wall like mantels.

I feel something rake painlessly across my back and without hesitation, I bring my knife around in a reverse grip. It finds purchase as warm red blood splatter all over my hand. The Kobold that had run around me lies dead on the ground, blood pooling around its now cut open throat.

"**Earth Spikes!"**

Three Kobolds trying to circle me let out a sudden welp of agony when they find their chests burst in a shower of red when my stone stakes embed themselves in their chests, their bodies hitting the ground with a dull _thud. _

**HP: 34**

**MP:4**

4 remaining Kobolds circle around me like vultures, their glowing red eyes reminding me of that Minotaur that nearly ended my life.

It's not like the Dungeon cared for that though. As if sensing my weakness, it was like every step I took gave birth to a new Kobold or Goblin.

Was the Dungeon reacting to what was going on the Lower Floors? Does this have something to do with the Minotaurs?

Or maybe this thing is smarter than I gave it credit for and it knows when to take advantage.

Though I might have taken a bit longer than usual to reach through the Floors and back to the surface. So lost in my own thoughts, I forgot where I was.

Dying on the First Floor. What a joke.

"Talk about kicking me when I'm down," I say to myself, a grim smirk on my lips at the irony of it all. The irony of this being my last day isn't lost on me.

Not at all.

The four Kobolds carry on circling around, growling and gnashing me, their dog heads reminding me of rabid dogs.

If only Aiz didn't try to knock me out, I would've been done already.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" I say to the vultures gathering around me, spreading my arms out wide with a mocking smirk on my face, "I've been coming down here for weeks now and I haven't met anything that can hurt me yet. You're supposed to be monsters, right? Start acting like it."

As if they could understand my words, I hear a Kobold behind me start to growl like something that came from the depths of hell itself. Snapping around, I come face to face with a lunging dog man, red eyes glowing with rage and a hunger for flesh.

Of which, I'll admit, I have quite a lot of.

I bring my left arm up just in time as I feel its strong jaws clamp down around it and like the ravenous mutt that it is, starts trying to rip my arm away, glaring at me all the while with those glowing red eyes.

I bring my blood-caked knife up right into the things neck, spraying my face with warm metallic-tasting blood. With a grimace, I roughly tore my knife through one side of its neck to the other side, its ironclad grip of the jaw around my arm slacking with each visceral, wet push of the knife.

The red glow of its eyes dim to lifelessness and it slumps to the floor-

Something big smashes into my side and in a sort of a macabre show of wrestling, I end on my back, my knife skidding far away out of my reach. I look up to see a rabid snarling dog head uncomfortably close to me, drool dribbling down onto me and the hot rancid air of its breath hitting my face.

**HP: 23**

**MP: 7**

Just a few more seconds. Just hold out for a few more.

"Inventory!"

A blue screen opens up just as the Kobold goes for my throat.

As quickly as I could, I grab its jaws and snap them shut, but my arms shake like crazy as I try to both keep its jaw shut and push it back.

Snarling its teeth at me, it raises up a clawed hand only to bring it down on my head.

Snapping my head to one side, it barely misses me as the claws scratch the stone floor and leave deep claw marks into the blood-stained stone floor of the Dungeon.

My eyes dash to a small, thin black talon in my inventory. My last remaining item and the only thing that could possibly help me now.

**HP:23  
MP:8**

Through the flurry of claws and snarls, I position my legs-

**HP: 14**

**MP:8**

Only to find something clamp down on the both of them hard.

...Oh fuck, I forgot about the other two.

**HP:12**

**MP:8**

So. This is it.

**HP:10**

**MP:8**

I suppose I should be thankful that it doesn't hurt? I wonder how it'll be? Will I just turn off like a machine? Will a big red 'game over' hang over me?

If there's one thing I regret…

It's the fact that I was kind of a massive asshole to Syr and Ryu simply because they wanted to help me in their own ways.

**HP:6**

**MP:8**

'_Do not go gentle into that good night'. _

I always was a fan of that phrase even if this isn't anywhere close to what it meant originally. I like to think I put up a good fight at least. I made them work for it.

No one can say I didn't try.

My face twitches into a snarl of my own.

**HP:4**

**MP:9**

I shove my thumb into the glowing red of the Kobold. I couldn't keep the grim smirk off my face as more blood splashes onto me and it releases an ear-deafening howl that echos out throughout the Floor.

My hands free, I shove-

"Get off from him!"

The one-eyed Kobold is suddenly thrown off me by a kick that came out of nowhere. It rolls against the ground and the other two gnawing on my legs suddenly look up to see my saviour.

Quicker than I could react to it, he quickly stabs one of the Kobolds right through the skull and kicks the other right to the face, its head quickly snapping to one side at an awkward angle with a wet _crack_. Both of them slump to the ground like dolls without strings, falling to the side.

I look up to the person who saved me and they looked down at me, their ruby eyes filled with worry and his kiddy face marred with fear.

"Kid?" I say aloud in shock at the kid with snow-white hair who the last time I saw him was covered in Minotaur blood.

Shit, how long have I been down here?

The kid goes to say something before a growling behind him caused him to snap around and lifting up his knife in a reverse grip. The one-eyed Kobold that the kid kicked growls at the both of us, blood dripping down its face.

**HP:4  
MP:10**

"**Earth Spikes."**

The Kobold doesn't have a chance as its body is peppered with three sharp stalagmites that tear themselves from the stone walls, two through the chest and one through its skull.

Worth it.

The kid snaps back to me, his mouth hanging open and his eyes wide.

"Sorry if I scared you with that," I shove myself up with a grunt of effort, "But that was probably my last spell. I'm kinda running dry here after the whole thing with the Minotaur."

"U-uhm, no it's fine!" The kid looks up at me, his not so subtly shifting away from looking at my eyes.

"Still though, thanks for the help," I let out a sigh and rub a hand through my blood-caked hair, "If you didn't turn up when you did, I probably wouldn't be alive."

The kid lets out some stutters that are quite frankly adorable and try not to smile at him considering how I'm drenched in blood. I doubt it would be seen so much as comforting as shit pants terrifying.

Until I realised something.

He's back. In the Dungeon.

Ah, bollocks.

"Kid," I suddenly speak, trying my best to be stern and his whole body suddenly goes rigid like a soldier being addressed by an officer, "You're not thinking of going back down there, are you? There could still be Minotaurs-"

"Ah! N-no, it's not like that. I'm, uhhhh...I wanted to...thank you?"

The kid cringes at every word as if he was thinking of them just as he was saying them.

I give him my best unimpressive stare and the poor thing just touches the tips of his fingers together with a small blush, looking up at me with those big round eyes of his.

"Kid, what's your name?"

"O-oh, sorry! Uhm, it's Bell Cranel! Nice to meet you, John!"

...Gods walk around like it's no big deal but it seems like someone up there is fucking around with me regardless.

"Nice to meet you, Bell," I give him a nod and he brightly smiles at me, "I'll ignore how you already know my name despite us only meeting today-"

"Urk!"

"-But, if you're not going back down, we should probably start making our way up then."

"Uhmm…" Bell eyes me with a worried frown, looking over me, "Are you okay? Those Kobolds were on you and-"

"Don't worry about me. I'm tougher than I look, trust me."

The kid doesn't look convinced, but he does give me a small nod at least. He looks around us, taking in the numerous bodies of dead Kobolds and Goblins, most with an **Earth Spike **in them in some vital area.

Ah. I forgot. This kid is an Adventurer after all.

And he did just save my ass.

"Kid, if you want the magic stones, help yourself."

He looks back to me, eyes wide with shock, "A-are you sure? I mean, I only killed two…"

"But those two you killed saved my life," I couldn't help but smile at the honest kid, "So it balances it out. Plus, how many stones did you get before the whole Minotaur thing happened?"

At the mention of the Minotaur, I could see his body go still for just a moment before he glances towards his pouch on his hip.

"Come on, I'll give you a hand," I say to the kid and make my way to my knife that I dropped, "If you wanna talk about this more, we should probably get out of here and back to the surface where it's safe. Don't know about you, but I don't fancy being jumped on by some monsters again."

The kid gives me a weird stare with a furrowed brow but he gives me a nod and we get to work.

It's...disturbing seeing someone so young basically carve out monsters like a butcher. I understand that's how Adventurers get their money, but still…

Tearing my eyes away from the concentrated look on the kid's face, I got started on my work.

With the two of us working together, it was over pretty quick compared to when I used to do it by myself.

There are about 15 monsters in total, most of them the Kobolds that I had killed along with some stray Goblins that decided to intrude my little party with the dog men.

Fuck Goblins. Seriously.

If I had more **MP, **this wouldn't have been nearly as much as an issue, but considering my near death at the unwitting hands of Aiz, I had to spend most of it on healing myself.

What a day.

"And that's the last of it," I watch as the green Goblin turns to ash and I pick up the small purple shard, putting it with the rest of the magic stones in my hand.

"You good, kid?"

"Mhm!" He looks up to me with a big smile before looking confused at my outstretched hand.

"The rest of the stones," I tell him which just cause him to splutter, "Kid, trust me. They'll do you more good than me, at least until tomorrow comes around. Then they'll be useless to me."

Whatever I said caused him to drop his cheery smile and replace it with a frown and shakes his head, "No, it's fine. Uhmm...there's something I want to speak to you about."

"Really now?" I raise my brow at the kid, "I don't mind, but let's get out of here first. We can talk then."

The kid gives me a nod and after standing up, I finally got a good look at him.

He isn't wearing a lot of armour, instead going for a short leather coat, black trousers and a small dull grey chest plate.

All without the Minotaur blood.

"So, kid, how did you manage to clean off all that blood?" I ask Bell as we both walk through the giant stone hallways of the First Floor of the Dungeon.

"Ehehehe…" Bell scratches the back of his head as he awkwardly chuckles, "I kinda...ran all the way back to the Guild? My adviser wasn't happy about that and forced me to have a shower…"

...Holy shit.

"You ran to Eina covered in Minotaur blood?"

"Eh? You know Miss Eina?" The kid looks up to me with curious round red eyes and I couldn't keep the smirk off of my face.

God, the look on her face when she must've seen Bell run through those doors…What I would've given to have seen it.

"Yeah, I'm acquainted with her. She was my adviser before the Guild decided to drop me," I say with a shrug to his worried look, "She'll do right by you, kid. She's smart, if a bit intense, but she offers sound advice."

Now if only I had taken it.

"So...it's true then?" The kid asks me, "Your Familia abandoned you and now you're being blacklisted by the Guild because you can't pay the Familia Tax?"

With a raised brow, I stare at the kid, "Eina tell you that?"

The kid suddenly blushes up a storm and decides it's better to look at the Dungeon wall behind me, "Uhmm...no?"

Cute.

"Hah! Don't worry about it kid. Though I do wonder why you even care to mention that in the first place."

If he wanted to thank me, he's already done it tenfold by saving my life. I guess he was just curious or something?

The kid bites his lip and keeps glancing at me. Eventually, he lets out a breath and gives me a surprisingly determined stare.

"I just...I want to say thank you, for saving me from that Minotaur. You didn't have to, but you did."

"Well, I mean…" I rub the back of my head as the kid has determination radiate off of him for some reason, "I didn't really do anything special. If I didn't help you, that girl, Aiz, would've done. I just got there before her, is all and she ended up saving both of our lives. If there's anyone to be thanking, it's her."

"B-but still!" The kid suddenly yells out, his ruby red eyes lighting up fierce, "You saved me! S-so it just doesn't seem fair that your Familia, your family, isn't willing to do anything about you being blacklisted by the Guild just because something that's their fault!"

...Ah, I see what you've done now, Eina. You sneaky beautiful elf.

"And so that's why-!"

"Bell," I suddenly slam my hands down upon his shoulders and he jolts up to look up at me with wide eyes, "You seem like a good kid and I owe you my life. So let me offer you some advice: Give up being an Adventurer."

"Wha…"

Ignoring his heart broken look, I carry on:

"This isn't the life for someone as young as you. I don't know how old you are, but you're probably the youngest Adventurer I've met by looks alone. Go back home. Go back to your family, your mum and dad and any siblings you have. The life you get there may be boring but trust me; just enjoy being a kid a little longer, okay?"

With each word, Bell just looks more and more downcast to the point of not even looking at me anymore and just looking dejected at the floor.

I didn't want to hurt him like this. It's probably something he doesn't want to hear.

But I refuse to let him throw his life away at such a young age. Not if I can help it.

I slowly remove my hands-

Only for Bell to snap up from the looking down at the floor to look up at me, his fiery ruby eyes almost boring into my own.

"I…" Bell starts before letting out a small breath, "I...never knew my parents. My Grandfather was the one who raised me…"

...Oh.

"But a year ago...he died."

...Oh, this is so much worse than I thought it was going to be.

"He used to tell me all sorts of stories about Adventurers, about the Dungeon and about...other things," Bell says the last bit with a small blush but carries on anyway.

"I came here to become an Adventurer, just like the ones he used to tell me about," Bell carries on, his fists clenching tight, "But...but almost every Familia I tried to join rejected me. I was alone...I didn't have anyone until I met my Goddess. She was the same as me, alone and no one she could call Familia."

I don't say anything as Bell keeps going. It's not that I don't feel sorry for him, but I just don't know why he's telling me-

"Aren't you the same?"

I flinch back as if I had just burnt myself. My hands fly off his shoulders and I take a step back. Despite my reaction, Bell stands still and looks up to me, his fists clenched and his eyes hard.

"...And what exactly do you mean by that?"

"You're a part of a Familia," Bell says the words that calm down my sudden beating heart, "But...I don't think it's a Familia anyone would like to be a part of."

...He's wrong. He's wrong about one thing at least because of my lies.

My mouth moves but no words come out. It would be so easy to just lie and say it isn't like that and he's mistaken. And if he doesn't believe me, so what? So what does one more lie matter?

But I don't want to. It was my lies that outed me to Loki. It was my lies that allowed her to almost trap me and force me into her Familia. It was my lies that got me into my current situation.

"God," I mutter under my breath and shake my head and give the kid a stare of my own, "You're wrong about one thing, Bell. My Familia hasn't abandoned me."

"Wha-"

"I don't have a Familia in the first place. I don't even have a Falna."

And with that, I finally tell the truth or at least a big part of it.

To a kid that I haven't even known for more than 5 minutes.

Well. I guess the fact he saved my life alleviates that fact a bit. The Minotaur thing was more of Aiz's thing than mine.

Silence rings out in the Dungeon. Bell looks at me with wide, disbelieving eyes. His whole body is rigid and stiff like a statue. His mouth opens and closes repeatedly as if he was a fish gasping for air.

I didn't want to lie to this kid. He's just so...honest and open. It's only fair that I repay that with my own honesty.

"...Ehhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!?"

Then the walls around us started to crack open, like yawning abysses.

"Oh, bollocks," I grab my knife and give my HUD a quick glance:

**HP: 10**

**MP: 14**

Bell quickly grabs his knife in a reverse grip and backs up close to me, our backs to each other.

5 furry Kobolds drops to the ground around us in a circle, feasting their hungry red glowing eyes on us, their maws dripping and growling.

"Kid," I say aloud to Bell, the both of us moving slowly around as the Kobolds circle us like before, "I can use a spell that can kill three of them at least. Can you handle the other two?"

I feel Bell stiffen up for a moment, but relax just as fast.

"You can count on me."

And isn't that pathetic?

"On the count of three…"

The monsters circle around us, moving ever closer.

"One…"

One of the Kobolds goes down to all fours, its fur bristling, eyeing me with those bloodthirsty red eyes.

"Two…"

They stop moving. And so do me and Bell.

"Three!"

Without warning, they spring forward and I feel Bell shoot off from behind my back.

"**Earth Spikes!" **

The three familiar stone spikes rip themselves from the walls of the Dungeon and home in on the sprinting, slobbering Kobolds, each one yelps loudly as two stone spikes pierce through their chests and one embeds itself right into the skull of a very unfortunate Kobold.

I snap around to sound of blood gushing.

Bell swiftly removes his knife from the eye of a Kobold, jumping away from the now dead monster just as sprays out its life fluid and its brother swipes at Bell with its claws but Bell rapidly dodges and weaves around it like it was nothing. With a thrust and a hop, Bell quickly shoves his knife right underside the Kobolds lower jaw, the blade going all the way to its brain.

...Well, he's quick on his feet. I'll give him that.

"Good work," I give Bell a nod and he gives me a smile that is way too cheerful after being splattered with blood, "Let's get the magic stones before more come."

"Right," Bell gives me a nod and starts to get work.

Before he jumps up and snaps around to me, his eyes wide and his mouth agape.

"Waitwaitwaitwait!" He says rapidly, waving his arms around, "You're trying to change the subject!"

"I'm not trying to change anything," I tell Bell with my back turned to him.

Which is good because I don't think my smirk would help matters.

"Yes! Yes, you are! You can't just tell me something like that and expect me to forget about it!"

Oh, if only it was so easy.

Letting out a sigh, I stand back and turn around to Bell, looking up to me with wide eyes.

And I give him a shrug.

"I honestly don't know what to tell you, kid. You're the only person I told, so if you have anything you want to ask, now would be the time."

It was interesting to watch Bell's face go through almost several motions at once. A mixture of incredulous shock and splutters.

"W-why would you ever go into the Dungeon without a Falna?! Why wouldn't you join a Familia?!"

"Because I have something to do here," I give a shrug to more of the kid's shock, "And it's a bit personal. And for the whole Familia thing? Well...Honestly? I just don't trust the Gods. Any of them."

The thing about the Gods isn't that they're imperfect. It's that they're imperfect and yet wield so much power for no reason other than they're Gods.

Which made sense. Gods, at least back home, were generally made in the image of man and as ways to explain certain things that they couldn't explain back then so they were never really meant to be perfect but merely aspects of a world that people didn't understand.

At least with the old Gods like Greeks and Norse.

But they weren't real. Not unlike these Gods.

How could I ever trust something that holds so much power and controlled by their whims?

My meeting with Loki really didn't help me in that regard.

Bell looks downtrodden at my words, casting his eyes down and biting his lip. I let out a sigh and clasp Bell on the shoulder, causing him to look up at me.

"Bell, you're a good kid and I can see what you're trying to do. But if something like this gets out, I'll just bring trouble for you and your Familia."

"I…" Bell bites his lip for a moment but looks back up at me, his eyes practically blazing.

"Miss Hestia isn't like what you think she is. She...she took me when I had no one to turn to. I know she'll do the same for you!"

"Hestia?" I mutter under my breath and I couldn't help but frown in thought.

That...can't be a coincide.

"S-she may not be very famous...and it's just the two of us, but-!"

"It's not like that, kid," I couldn't help but smile at him, "I'm just raking my brain for what I know of her; Hestia, Goddess of the Hearth, Architecture and Domesticity, right? That her?"

Bell looks up to me, mouth agape and his ruby eyes wide, "Uh, I don't know about those other two, but yeah, that's her! Did you already know about her?"

"In a fashion," I give a shrug, "I may not trust Gods but I did a lot of reading about them back home. They're...interesting to read about."

That wasn't all though.

Hestia isn't just the Goddess of those three.

She's also the Goddess of Family.

Of Home.

Now that's just funny.

I give an almighty sigh and look down at Bell who looks back up me, his jaw set, his red eyes blazing and his back straight.

He barely even reaches above my shoulders.

"Bell...How old are you, exactly?"

Bell blinks at me, probably not expecting my question and he shuffles on his feet for a bit before looking back up with an embarrassed look.

"I'm fourteen..."

Four...teen?

I could feel my brain empty at the words. Anything I was going to say is torn away from me as the fourteen-year-old kid starts to blush under my stare.

No parents. No one to look after him besides his Goddess who he has to support by going into the Dungeon and put his life on the line for Valis by killing monsters.

Fourteen.

...Fuck it. Just fuck it at this point.

"Alright then," I let out a sigh, "I'll do it."

"Eh?" He looks up to me, his eyes wide and full of hope before a bright, wide smile breaks out like the sun among dusky clouds, "Really?!"

"I'll tell your Goddess what I told you. If she's alright with it...Sure. I'll join your Familia."

I won't lie to myself; I still want to go back home...But I don't want to cause this kid any trouble.

But that's just it. He's a kid. He shouldn't be here but where else does he have to go?

So fuck it.

I'll join his Familia, get a Falna and see where it goes from there. I plan on reaching the bottom one way or another.

But...it just might take a while longer now. And next time, I'll prepare for the Dungeon properly. I have someone else to worry about besides myself now.

"Now come on," I went back to the monster's corpse, "Let's get these magic stones and get out of here already."

...And maybe get a shower. I think the blood is dying my hair now.

"Right!"

.

* * *

.

"Oh fresh air, how I have missed thee," I take a deep breath of the clean outside air and let it all out in a single sigh.

The sun hangs high in the sky, about little after than afternoon. Various Adventurers of all races and type walk around us, with some of them giving me odd and cringed looks.

Don't blame them. You get used to the smell of blood after a while but that still doesn't change the fact no one wants to see someone come out of the Dungeon covered in dried crusty blood.

"Do...do you want to get changed?" Bell asks me awkwardly, "The Guild has some clothes if you want and some showers."

"Tempting," I say to Bell but I start walking down the steps and Bell hastily follows alongside, "I would love to see Eina's face if she sees me like this, but I think it would be better to meet Hestia as soon as possible if you don't mind."

"Uhmmm...John, I don't mean to judge but are you sure it's okay to walk through the city covered in blood?"

"Well," I grin at Bell as I put my hood up, "Not all of us can be so lucky as to run through the city covered in Minotaur blood. Some of us have to do with just plain old Kobold blood, you know?"

Bell's face lights up in a massive red blush and I couldn't help but chuckle at his expression, ignoring the stares that we're getting.

"Don't worry, Bell. This isn't the first time I've been covered in blood, I know how to handle it. Just give me a minute or two and I'll show you."

"If you say so…" Bell mutters unconvinced, his blush dying down and he shakes his head from side to side, his messy white hair swinging wildly about.

I physically force my hand down so I don't pet it.

It does look damn fluffy though.

I follow Bell through the crowded streets of Orario, all kinds of people going about their daily lives. Some humans, some with animal ears or even elves.

Some brown-skinned women wearing some skimpy clothes though. I wonder what's that about?

To my utter 'shock', everyone gave me and Bell a wide berth, most of them looking at me in either quiet disgust or just plain bewilderment. Who knew blood was such a good deterrent?

Maybe it's because I never really leave the Dungeon until midnight but was the city always this populated?

It's not even the fact that some of them aren't human, it's just the sheer number. Almost every time I turn my head, I see a new face or a new stall selling their goods, yelling and all that other nonsense.

Was Orario always this populated?

Bell leads me through the Main Street and the multiracial crowd, my head swivelling from side to side almost non stop.

"You know, I'm surprised," I say aloud and Bell looks up to me curiously as I carry on staring at all kinds of people and shops that I've never noticed before, "This place is more livelier than I thought."

"What do you mean?" Bell tilts his head quizzically at me.

"Orario," I clarify for the kid, "I never really come out of the Dungeon this early, I usually stay in till midnight when all the shops are closed so I've never seen them open and with so many people...Sure is shocking, to say the least."

Bell frowns at me when the Dungeon came up only to change to a curious look, "Where are you from anyway? I don't think I've ever seen clothes like yours before…"

"You wouldn't have heard of it," I ignore Bell's frown and carry on watching a blacksmith hammer something into shape, "But I'll tell you that I grew up in an...isolated village. Small place, the kind where everyone knew each other. What about you? What kind of place did you grow up in?"

"Oh!" Bell looks surprised at me asking and thinks for a bit, "I guess the same as you then? But, it wasn't isolated. My grandfather was a farmer and our village is north of here, just in the mountains. I'm surprised though, I didn't think you would've come from a village like me."

"Life's full of surprises, kid," I give him a shrug, "Like running into a Minotaur on the Fifth Floor and getting saved by a girl that's younger than me."

And then she tries to knock you out but instead almost ends up killing you.

A slight blush creeps up on Bell's face at the mention of Aiz, though I wonder why.

Eh, he's probably embarrassed about getting saved or something. He's a young kid, he'll get over it sooner or later.

Which reminds me…

"Ah, this way, John," Bell catches my attention and leads me away from Main Street into a little back street, far less crowded and the din of people chattering and bartering fade out as we walk down the small street. After some twists and turns, we come to a dead end.

A cul de sac with an old run-down church.

Which Bell leads me to.

We stop outside the church and I give it a look over before looking at Bell, who just chuckles nervously.

"Bell, do you and your Goddess live here?" I simply ask the kid who gives me a nervous nod.

"I-I know it isn't much-"

"I don't care about that," I tell him plainly, "I care if it's safe to live in. I can understand being tight on money, but this church looks like it's going to crumble down any minute. Are you sure you two should be living here?"

With a massive hole in the roof, cracks in the stonework and the crumbling angel, or something similar, with half a face looking down with a crooked smile, I can't imagine this is safe.

Ignoring the irony of a God squatting in a church, I watch as Bell lets out a small sigh and looks up to me with a smile.

Hestia couldn't be forcing Bell to live here, could she? Is there something egotistical to a God living in a church meant for them? Though Bell did say it was only him and Hestia so maybe they really are just that poor.

"I think it might be better to show you, but don't worry, it's safe," Bell gives me a look over, his smile going just a bit strained, "Uhmmm...John, you're still covered in blood…"

...I had honestly forgotten about that. I wonder what that says about me?

Well, my HUD just went off but I should have enough **MP **for some spells.

"Right, sorry. Give me a minute," I bring my hands up like usual and Bell watches curiously.

"**Soothing Waters."**

A large globule of water, about the size of my head, forms slowly inside my hands. I hear Bell let out a 'Uwahhh…" as the droplet fully forms.

I glance down to see Bell peering into the water globule that I held, his eyes shining like rubies and getting his face close to it.

I slightly move my hands and the large water droplet along with it directly towards Bell's face, getting the tip of his nose inside it.

"Ah!" Faster than I could even blink and with a high-pitched girly scream, Bell hops away like some sort of rabbit, clutching his nose all the while and his eyes wide and wild.

"C-cold! Why is it so cold!?"

"I have no idea," I shrug at him, unable to contain my smirk, "Despite its name, it's anything but soothing. And trust me, this is going to suck more for me than for you."

I then raise my hands above my head.

And the water drops.

"Jesus H Christ!" I hiss aloud as the icy water fully envelops every inch of my upper body. Goosebumps instantly surface everywhere the waters soak in my clothes and skin.

God, I hate that fucking spell so much at times.

"John, are you okay?!" Bell runs up to me with a worried look, only to stop and stare at my bloody clothes.

Well, formerly bloody.

"The blood is gone?"

"Y-yeah," I ignore how my stutter due to how balls to the walls freezing I am right now, "I don't really u-understand it but it sure as hell saves up on c-cleaning. It also heals as well, which is what I mainly use it for."

"Wh-why not just change into other clothes and have a shower? Seems easier than casting a spell..."

...Ah.

"I don't, uhh…" I rub the back of my head and I try not to look Bell in the eye as he looks up to me, "I don't actually...own any other clothes besides these…"

Bell looks at me blankly. So blankly as if what I just said didn't compute with him in anyway. His stare bores into my very soul, burning it with those eyes of his.

I want the Minotaur back. At least the Minotaur wouldn't torture me like this.

I think at least.

I don't even have an excuse for this one that doesn't involve me looking like I'm insane.

"R-really?"

The twitching corners of his mouth told me enough of what Bell was thinking.

"Whatever, I've been busy doing stuff," I ignore Bell and go back to staring the crumbling church.

"Bell, before we do this, I just want to know something," Bell stops just short of opening the doors and looks back at me, "Are you doing this because you feel like you owe me? For what I did back at the Minotaur?"

Bell looks down for a brief moment, biting down on his bottom lip. No doubt trying to find the right words to convince me.

He didn't need to do that though. I already made up my mind to at least talk to his Goddess and no matter what he says now won't change that. I just want to know if he really just does feel indebted to me because of what I did back at the Minotaur and that's why he's trying so hard about this whole thing.

"W-when I asked about you from Miss Eina, I just wanted to thank you. But when she told me about the blacklist...it didn't really seem fair, especially when you put yourself in danger for me…"

Bell looks up at me, his jaw set and his hands clenched, "I would be lying if I said it didn't involve what happened back in the Dungeon, but that's not the only reason. It just...didn't seem fair and I can help you like you helped me, so why shouldn't I?"

...Oh kid.

Oh Bell. You're such an idiot.

"Bell, there are so many other reasons I could've been blacklisted, that I don't think I can count them all. You've barely known me for more than an hour and you invite me to your Familia. You can't trust someone so easily, you'll hurt yourself if you just open up to everyone."

"But I do trust you," Bell tells me the stupidest thing I've heard since coming to this world, "I don't think trusting people is a wrong thing to do."

"Trust is earned, not given, Bell. What have I done exactly to earn your trust?"

"Saved me from the Minotaur," Bell says so quickly and certainly that I have to do a double take. I hold my ground at his surprisingly intense stare.

"That girl, Aiz, saved both of us if I remember correctly. Especially you, in particular, considering that you came back for some reason."

"I couldn't just leave you! I-I had to do something!"

I stare down Bell while he glares up at me. I let out a sigh and run my hand through my hair.

An idiot. This kid is nothing more than a lucky idiot. He won't last that long in the Dungeon if he comes across any of the more shady Adventurers. Who the hell knows how they could take advantage of him?

"You're a good kid, Bell. Too good for my liking though," I grumble at him and he blinks wildly at me with a small blush on his face, his mouth opening and closing, "Well come on then. Let's talk to your Goddess and see what she says about me. We still don't know if she'll let me join yet."

"Uhmm, I think she will. She took me in when all the other Familia's rejected me so I know she'll do the same for you."

Giving me a bright smile, Bell opens up the mouldy doors of the down-trodden church, giving me the inside view.

It was just what about I expected. Bits of the roof look like they're barely hanging on if they haven't already fallen. Me and Bell step on the weeds growing out of the cracked stone tiles while the sunlight beams down from up above and straight through the hole in the roof, providing some natural light. A thin layer of dust cover the pews and the painted windows lay broken and dirty from years of disuse and neglect.

Still though. If I knew about this place, I wouldn't have slept in that alleyway. That place sucked.

No God or Goddess though. The place is empty.

"Is your Goddess out? I don't see her around anywhere."

"No, she's downstairs," I lift my brow at him and he gives me a small smile like he knew something I didn't, "Come on, I'll show you."

Following Bell as we weave our way through the wreckage of fallen rubble, he leads me towards the back of the altar up on the stage and into a small. Various shelves line the wall though they were all empty.

He went towards the empty shelf at the back. I watch as Bell grabs it and pulls it back, revealing a staircase that goes down, though I don't know how far or how long it goes.

"Bell, I'll be honest with you. If you were quite literally anyone else, I would think you're just leading me into your nefarious sex dungeon."

I almost had to catch Bell as he nearly trips down the stairs before catching himself on some shelves and swivelling around to look at me, his shocked face an adorable shade of bright red.

"J-John!"

"Yes?"

"H-How can y-you just say something like that?!" He shouts at me, his face bearing more than a passable resemblance to a very big tomato.

I fight to keep the smirk off my face to give Bell a genuine look of confusion. Which was of course bullshit.

"Bell, I don't know why you're getting so wound up. If all parties consent before going into your nefarious sex dungeon-"

"Stop saying that!"

"-Then there isn't much trouble, is there? I think at least. Not really an expert on stuff like this. I guess my only advice to have safe words and-"

"Bell? Is that you?" We both hear a woman's voice call out to him and he snaps around to the staircase where it came from. The sound of _pitter patter _could be heard like bare feet meeting stone as the person runs up the stairs.

The first thing I noticed is that she's short. Shorter than Bell by a substantial amount, just barely coming up to his shoulders and about chest height for me.

With silky black hair tied with two white bows, the two twintails reached her thighs and her bright blue orbs peered at me and Bell, her pretty face looking at me with curiosity. She wore a short simple white dress that hugged her surprisingly voluptuous figure despite her stature and…

And a string runs under her bulging breasts, tied to both of her arms.

And my clothes are weird? When you people have god damn string bras? Just wear an actual bra, Jesus.

She gives off the same feeling as Loki though. Despite everything, the image of her insufferable smirk still flashes through my mind.

I ignore it.

This girl is a Goddess, no doubt about that.

Which means…

"G-Goddess!" Bell yelps out with a red face and looks between me and her with a wildly swinging head, "Uhhhh, T-this is John, and errrr…"

Oh wow, what I said really got to him, huh?

"Miss Hestia, I presume?" I take over from the poor kid and step up, the mini Goddess looking up to me with those ocean blue eyes of hers and she gives me a cautious nod, "My name is John, it's a pleasure to make your acquittance."

"O-oh!" Hestia looks surprised at me for some reasons and looks up to me with a smile, "It's nice to meet you too! But, uhmmm...are you an Adventurer like Bell?"

"I am. There was...an incident in the Dungeon today that involved Bell. I think Bell might be able to explain it better than me though."

Quicker than I thought she could move, she snaps over to Bell, touching him all over and inspecting him with a worried frown.

"You're not hurt are you? What happened?"

"I-I'm fine, Goddess," Bell tells her with a smile, holding up his hands for her to stop which slowly does, "It's kinda a long story though….we should probably go back into the main area."

Hestia's frown just deepens but she does give Bell a nod. We all walk back into the main area by the broken altar.

"Well, it starts with a Minotaur…"

"What?!"

And that's how Bell 'smoothly' started telling his Goddess about how the whole Minotaur incident.

I remained silent through the whole exchange as Bell tells Hestia about the whole thing. It was kinda funny watching this short Goddess all but pull her twintails in frustration at Bell's story. She does give me a look when I came up but Bell then goes on to tell her the rest, about Aiz and such.

Funny how he lightly blushes when Aiz came up. Also funny how he didn't include the stuff with the Kobolds.

I then have a Goddess bowing to me.

"Thank you for protecting my child, John!" Hestia, Goddess of the Hearth, bows to me without warning. I stand there and just stare at her.

Because what else could I do?

A God is bowing to me.

How the hell do you react to something react like that?

"Well-I, i-it really isn't that big of a deal," I hate how I stutter like some sort of kid as Hestia frowns at me, "In the end, I didn't do a whole lot besides just leading it towards Aiz Wallenstein who killed it."

"You still helped Bell when he was in trouble when he needed it most," Hestia bows to me _again, _and gives me a bright smile, the natural sunlight from the open roof making it seem just that much warmer, "Thank you for saving my only child."

...Is this really a God?

She squats in a run-down church in a culdesac, lives in the basement of all things and...bowed to me? All because I helped out Bell that didn't need my help in the first place?

Loki, despite being a woman than a man like I thought, is what I thought a God would be like:

Controlling. Forceful. Used to getting their own ways and insufferable in almost every sense of the word, even if we only talked for a little while.

Because what else could a God be?

If I had to guess, the church was no doubt a place of worship for the Gods. But, I don't see her mural anywhere but maybe that's just the disrepair of the church itself.

And when Bell talked about the Minotaur, she was _afraid._

Afraid for Bell. Worried about him.

Why would a God ever bother worrying about a human? She said he was her only child and Bell did say it was only her and him in their Familia…

But, it didn't seem like she was afraid of losing her only Familia member because it would mean no more money.

It seemed like she was genuinely worried for Bell.

Or maybe, it just seems like that, because it _actually _is like that.

The image of Loki's grin flashes faintly in my mind as I stare down with wide eyes at the Goddess in front of me that barely comes up to my chest who looks up to me with a bright smile that lights up the room.

The image of Loki vanishes without a trace in my mind.

I glance at Bell, my eyes probably pleading for help.

He smiles that 'I told you so' smile that people do when they're arseholes.

Little prick.

"Uhmmm, I'm sorry but we don't have money if you're looking for a reward…" Hestia frowns sadly up at me before cute determination takes ahold of her.

"B-but! If y-you come by my stand tomorrow, I'll give you all the Jagamarukun that you want! For free!"

...What the hell is a Jagamarukun? Is that a sort of food? It sounds German. Why the hell is there German sounding food in this medieval world?

Wait, did she just say stand? As in, like those stalls on the main street? Does she run one?

...Nah, I must've misheard that.

"Uhhhh...Don't worry, I'm not here for money or anything. Even if you could pay, I'm not really interested in money anyway."

At my words, Hestia lets out a tremendous sigh of relief and her little shoulders sag, "Oh, that's good. We can't really afford giving out stuff like for free…"

She looks up to me with a curious look, her brows knitted cutely, "But...do you really want nothing? I have to thank you somehow."

"Ah, well, yes," I briefly look to Bell for help but all he gives me is just a stupid fucking smile.

I clear my throat rather loudly and prepare myself for what might amount to suicide by God.

"So, I said I'm an Adventurer like Bell. But, there were some things I left out…I guess the first thing would be that I have no Familia."

"...Eh?"

"...And I don't have a Falna either."

"_...Ehhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!?"_

Oh boy. This may have been a terrible idea.

...Bell trusts her though. I should at least see how it goes.

I quickly explained that I could use magic to defend myself and that's how I managed to make a living as an Adventurer and that seemed to calm her down if only a tiny bit. I went on to tell her pretty much what I told Bell. That I don't trust the Gods and that I have something to do in the Dungeon.

And how I was about to get blacklisted because my 'Familia' was unable or unwilling to pay the Familia Tax and that means I'll be unable to go into the Dungeon.

During most of this, Hestia remains silent, her ocean blue eyes peering up at my face, her pretty young face marred with a knitted brow and her mouth a thin line.

"And the reason I'm telling you all of this is because of Bell over there," I nod at Bell who Hestia looks at and he gives an awkward smile, "For some reason, wants to help me and he decided that me joining your Familia and keeping me from being blacklisted was how to do it."

And there we go.

Two people know the truth, more or less and one them is even a God. I can never tell them about the 'Gamer Mode' or they would think I'm insane, let alone telling them I came from a different world.

Hestia doesn't say anything. She merely keeps staring up at me with a knitted brow.

Maybe she'll do the smart thing-

"Okay!"

Wait what?

"Why wouldn't I accept you into my Familia?" Hestia frowns up at me like _I _was the weird one, "I can't just turn my back on someone in trouble! What kind of Goddess would I be if I didn't accept someone into my Familia just because they're a bit weird?"

As I stare down at the puffed up mini Goddess, what Bell said to me back in the Dungeon rings out in my head:

"_I was alone...I didn't have anyone until I met my Goddess. She was the same as me, alone and no one she could call Familia."_

I glance at Bell who has the biggest smile on his face and then back down to Hestia who's puffing out her chest out, the string not doing a very good job of keeping her breasts contained.

Christ. Birds of a feather really do flock together, don't they?

"Then...I'll be in your care, Miss Hestia."

"...Eh?" Hestia blinks up at me, apparently not expecting such a fast answer, "R-Really?!"

"Why are you second guessing now?" I ask her with a raised brow.

"W-Well, it's just that, as a natural mage, y-you could probably join a better Familia…"

"I've already been offered to join another Familia, but I refused that one," I shrug at Hestia and Bell's shocked look, "And I've slept in worst places than this, trust me. Hell, I even said to Bell that if you said yes, I would join. If I didn't want to join, I wouldn't be here."

Hestia looks up to me with quivering lips and watery eyes before her face splits into a massive smile.

"Yes! Second Familia member secured! And a mage as well!" Hestia pumps her fist in the air. Snapping towards Bell, she almost tackles him to the ground in a flying hug.

Bell lets out a loud 'oof!' as he barely holds onto the missile known as Hestia, "Good work, Bell!"

"Ehehehe...G-Goddess, John is standing right there," Bell says with a blush as I look on the weird display of affection.

Is getting another Familia member that big of a deal?

"Right!" Hestia detaches from Bell and looks to me with a fire in her eyes, "Come on, I'll give you the Falna downstairs!"

With a quickness that belayed her small stature, Hestia reaches out and grabs my hand with her own and pulls me along like some kind of dog.

There's something familiar I recognized in her tone, but this time it was a lot more obvious.

It was greed.

Just like Loki.

But...I shouldn't be so high and mighty. It's not like I haven't been greedy before. It's hardly a sin to want something or someone in your group because of their skills. And looking around, her being a bit greedy for money isn't that hard to understand.

And so, with a grinning Bell behind me, I let Hestia pull me along downstairs. I shift my head down so I wouldn't bang it against the low doorframe but she leads me down the winding staircase until we reached the bottom.

In the shape of a P, it was a small storeroom turned into a bedroom, with a small section for the entrance. Two old looking sofas sit opposite each other with a small wooden table in between them. A single cupboard is present but that's about it.

It was pretty barren and small all things considered. I could see two people living here but three? I'll just sleep upstairs. Not like I need much else.

I could always go back to the Hostess, but...I don't think Mia will let me back in.

Call it a hunch.

"Okay!" Hestia finally lets go of me and turns around, her hands on her hips and looking up to me.

I get that she wants to seem commanding...but she has to crane her neck to look up at me and she is just so cute, that it feels like a kid trying to command an adult or something.

"John, start stripping!"

…

"Excuse me?"

Please, _please, _don't do this to me. I've been through enough already!

"J-Just your top!" Hestia's face suddenly lights up in a blush and she mildly glares at me, "I-I need to write on your back for the Falna!"

Thank God.

"I was about to say," I mutter under my breath and start taking off my hoodie and shirt underneath it, "So how does this work exactly? A Falna I mean."

"Lie down on your front and I'll do the rest," Hestia goes to one of the sofas with a big smile on her face.

A smile that turns brittle when I take my shirt off. Bell sputters behind me and I look back to see him staring at my back.

"S-So hairy…" I hear Bell mutter behind me and I couldn't help but chuckle at his tone.

"Don't worry, Bell. Give it a couple of years and you'll have hair on your chest soon enough."

I hear Hestia say something under her breath before shaking her head. With a determined frown, she gestures for me to lay down on the sofa, which I do.

Not a moment longer, I feel a certain someone crawl onto my back and a heavy feeling dropping in my gut.

I wonder what it says about me that I have a literal Goddess on my half-naked body but I only feel an impending sense of dread?

After some shuffling around and grumbling, Hestia finally sits still on top of me.

"Right! Let's start!

Her small fingers then trace...something across my hairy back. It's warm and...wet?

God, this is so weir-

**[Falna detected. Engaging trait 'Outsider'.]**

Oh. Bollocks.

I open my mouth to-

**[Warning: Consent also detected. 'Outsider' not in effect. Integrating Falna…**

**1%**

**2%...]**

...Well. Okay then?

My mouth closes and I watch as a small green bar quickly fills up and the percentage raises up quite quickly, already hitting 20%.

Looks like I have some time for it to finish...integrating I suppose?

That means I can ask some questions.

"Miss-"

"None of that," I feel Hestia lightly smack the top of my head with a chiding voice, "We're Familia now so no more 'miss'. Besides, that makes me sound so...so old! I'm still a maiden I'll have you know!"

"Hmph," I let out a snort and I feel my lips curl upwards, "What is the proper way to address you then?"

"Goddess works," Hestia hums as her delicate fingers dance on my back, "Oh! You can call me Lady Hestia!"

"Yeah, I'm not going to do that," I ignore Hestia's little 'humph!' and carry on looking at the green bar that I only I can see, "I have two questions really; How does the Falna really work? I saw Bell fight some Kobolds in the Dungeon and he moves a hell of a lot faster than I thought he would. Is that because of his Falna?"

And so, with a short stack Goddess on my back, an albino kid by my side and a very weird bar filling up in front of me, they explain how Falna's work and what they do.

Falna's are basically contracts between mortals and Gods. Mortals get stronger, the ability to use magic and among various other things by giving them a 'status'. In return for their blessing, mortals would go into the Dungeon and basically support their Gods financially.

The way this works is through excellia or 'experience'. Excellia can raise my status and make it, and by proxy me, stronger depending on what I do. If I use spells, my spells get stronger, if I run a lot, I get faster and if I get hit a lot, my defence rises. However, the excellia I gathered can only be put to use when my status is updated by my God, IE Hestia.

This is starting to sound very familiar.

Though, doesn't that mean Hestia can effectively hold me hostage by choosing not to update my status? I suppose you could always change Familia, but Hestia also expanded on that a bit due to what I told her.

The process itself is called Conversion, the act of a person changing from one Familia to another and it can only be done once a year to prevent essentially Familia hopping. While she was coy about it, I don't think Hestia would've taken me so easily if I really was part of another Familia. I don't really blame her though. She can't exactly be under pressure from a bigger Familia right now anyway.

In any case, I don't get the impression Hestia would do that.

Can't say the same for the other Gods though.

Moving on from that, I asked about the Gods themselves.

Gods can't use their powers while on the 'Lower World' due to a pact they all made. If one of them use their powers or Arcanum as they call it, they get sent back to heaven, forbidden from coming down here again.

I tried my best not to let out a sigh of relief at that.

All that worry about the Gods and it was only half justified.

Another thing that caught my attention is why Hestia or Loki call their Familia 'children'.

It's because Gods can't have kids.

Or any kind of spirit for that matter. It just doesn't work.

Which throws a bunch of shit in my face.

How the hell does that work? If Gods can't have kids, where did Hestia come from? Her mother and father are the Titans Rhea and Cronus respectively. Does that mean they don't exist? What about Gods like Ares or Athena? Did they just literally pop out of nowhere?

I don't know if they're actually here but considering the trend of Gods so far, it wouldn't shock me if they were.

Damn it. Maybe my knowledge of Gods isn't all that foolproof as I thought it was.

God damn, am I an idiot.

My bar has almost filled all the way to 100% so I had asked one more question.

A question about magic.

Though surprised at my apparent lack of knowledge on the subject, I just outright admitted that I wasn't formally educated on the subject and was interested in learning more about.

Specifically how Hestia called me a 'natural mage'.

Apparently, there are two types of magic:

Congenital magic which is based on a persons race and one own ability and acquired magic based on the Falna given to Adventurers by the Gods.

There was...something that I couldn't quite place in Hestia's voice when I told her that I had never been formally trained in magic. She asked me if I could always use magic and I just told her that I could. Not a total lie, magic was one of the first things I used when I got here.

I couldn't turn my head to look at her but as soon as I tried to ask her, something happened.

A large cobalt blue screen pops up in front of me, filled with text:

**[Checking eligibility for Skills…]**

Oh what fresh hell is this.

**[Insufficent STR]**

**[Insufficent END]**

**[Insufficent AGI]**

**[Insufficent use of weapons]**

The hell are Skills? Something to do with my status?

**[Sufficent WIS. Checking...]**

**[Insufficent use of Fireball]**

**[Insufficent use of Soothing Waters]**

**[Sufficent use of Earth Spikes]**

**[Skill: Geōmanteia obtained]**

...What?

The hell is Geōmanteia? It sounds...greek? What the hell are Skills-

**[Congratulations!]**

Oh no.

**[By taking on a Falna and becoming part of a Familia by your free own will, you have taken your first step on the road to becoming a proper Adventurer! Had you not wanted this, the feedback from the 'Outsider' trait would've killed both you and the God! Maybe. Probably. Most likely. You would've died, the God would just go back up to Heaven.]**

Wait, _what._

**[But it didn't! And that's good! With this Falna, you can now gather excellia to increase your status! Unlike the stats of the 'Gamer Mode' A Falna's status can make you faster, stronger and more durable in an almost superhuman way! It can even increase the proficiency of your spells! Not to mention the added benefits of Skills and Developmental Abilities!]**

Wait.

Wait, hold on for a god damn minute.

What the _actual _fuck does it mean by 'unlike the stats of the Game Mode'.

Does that mean my stats aren't what I thought they were? But, my **WIS **stat has increased since coming here through using my spells.

But, come to think about it…

Did my spells actually get stronger? **Earth Spikes **always have three spikes, **Soothing Waters **has always healed a set amount and I barely, if ever, use **Fireball.**

Come to think about it, despite my **END **increasing, I don't really take any decrease in damage either…

Have I just literally been wrong about...everything?

"All done!" I hear Hestia say happily above me, breaking me out of my thoughts, "Uhmmm...wait a minute…"

Hestia sounded...unsure for some reason. That probably wasn't a good sign.

"Is something the matter?" I ask the short stack Goddess who does something that I can't see.

"Errr...no?"

"Hestia, I can't see your face but I can hear your lies," I tell her dryly and she lets out a cute little 'Humph!' in return.

"If it isn't urgent, can it wait? I need to tell the Guild that I'm part of your Familia now so they won't blacklist me anymore. Plus, I'm pretty sure that's a thing I have to do anyway."

"Oh! You're right!" Hestia climbs off of me and I stand back, stretching my arms up above me. I twist my head around to look at my back, catching a glimpse of what seemed like a massive tattoo on my back.

"Is that my Falna?" I ask Hestia and she gives me a rapid nod with a beaming smile.

"Yep! And with that, you're officially the second member of the Hestia Familia!" Hestia cranes up her neck upwards to look at me with a big smile on her face. I glance towards Bell who also had a bright smile on his face.

Idiots, the pair of them.

I still think they're too trusting of someone they barely know.

But trust has to start somewhere and if they're willing to make the effort…

What kind of asshole would I be if I didn't do the same?

"Thank you for taking me in, Hestia. I'll do my best to make sure you won't regret it."

She may not know it, but with this, she's done a lot for me. Maybe I should get something while I'm out as a gift? Or a sacrifice?

Wait, do Gods even accept sacrifices here?

And what do I even get Bell? Can't get him a bottle of alcohol, kid's too young.

I'm sure I'll figure out something.

"Ehehe," Hestia giggles childishly and puffs her chest out in pride, "Now! Don't be out for too long! You've joined on a good day, John! Don't expect much sleep tonight!

I raise my brow at the energetic Goddess, but I shrug my shoulders and try to ignore the unfortunate phrasing, "I'll be back soon, don't worry."

Saying goodbye to my...Familia members, I make my way to the topside to inform the Guild about my recent 'Conversion'.

Familia members…

Don't know if I'll get used to saying that any time soon.

.

* * *

.

By the time I made it to the Guild, the sun had settled into a mellow yellow afternoon, almost dipping into the evening. During my walk here, I had tried various new phrases to get a new menu to pop up. Stuff like Skills, Developmental Abilities and status are among the ones that I tried.

And I got nothing in return.

No new menu, no new nothing.

I tried everything I could think of that correlates to my new found Falna and none of it worked.

Out of curiosity, I tried **Stats **again.

To my shock, something about it was different:

**Name: NA**

**Alias: John**

**Level: 1**

**HP: 60**

**MP: 120**

**STR: 20**

**END: 14**

**AGI: 10**

**WIS: 30**

**Excellia: 0**

In truth, I don't know how useful knowing how much excellia I have is but it's better to have it and not need than need it and not have it.

From what Hestia and Bell told me, excellia is distributed automatically on my status depending on what actions I take. Considering my 'fighting style' consists of spamming spells, I'm probably stuck as a ranged spell caster.

There was one thing I noticed though.

Despite even calling excellia 'experience', they never said anything about levelling up which I know is a thing. So does that mean levelling up is irrelevant of the amount of excellia gathered? How does someone even level up in the first place then?

Questions for another time. I've learned a lot today, hell I've learned more about Adventurers today than the past weeks I've spent mindlessly crawling around in the Dungeon.

For now, it's time to take one thing at a time.

And that involves not being blacklisted by the Guild.

I push open the double doors of the relatively empty Guild. Not counting the Guild clerks, only a few Adventurers remain and they were probably just here to drop off their magic stones and go home. The clean, shiny surface of the marble floor reflects the gentle yellow light of the evening, giving the whole Guild a sort of cozy feeling.

And as luck would have it, the person I'm looking for is currently free and manning an open desk, idly sorting out some paperwork before catching me and giving me a stiff smile.

Oh boy. I've only just walked through the door and already I did something wrong.

"John, mind explaining what you were doing walking around Orario in dried blood?"

...Ah, that would do it.

"I felt like making a new fashion statement," I give Eina a shrug and I see her slender brow twitch, "But unfortunately someone already beat me to it. In Minotaur blood, no less while I could only make do with Kobold. What a shame as well, I think it could've become popular."

I see Eina try her very hardest not to crumple the papers in her hands, no doubt thinking of them wrapped around my throat, "Yes, that is a…'shame'. You've already met Bell then?"

"Yeah, we talked. Eina, give to me straight. Did you really send him after me?"

Pushing up her glasses, Eina stoic mask of a face keeps up as she shuffles papers around, "I have no idea what you mean, John. From what Bell told me, he simply wanted to thank you for helping him with the Minotaur. Speaking of which…"

The corners of Eina's mouth curl stiffly into a facsimile of a warm smile and she places her clasped hands onto the counter.

"Would you tell me what was exactly going through your mind when you attacked a Minotaur of all things?"

"A lot of things and nothing for innocent ears," I shrug at Eina's intensifying glare, "Look, Eina, you're not going to make me feel guilty about helping out the kid. If I had to, I would redo the whole thing over again. Plus, we were both saved by a girl named Aiz so it all worked out. Kinda."

To my surprise, Eina's glare softens up and her long ears droop downwards a little while her stiff smile melts away into guilty looking frown.

She lets out a tired sigh and her slender shoulders drop just a little, "I suppose it ended the best way it could. Still though, there aren't a lot of Level 1 Adventurers that would willingly engage with a Minotaur just to save someone else…"

"It really isn't that big of a deal. If I didn't jump in, Aiz would've. She was already behind Bell when he was being chased. All I did was just get its attention."

Seriously, I didn't even help beyond just unknowingly herding it towards Aiz. She did all the work.

"If you say so," Eina just gives me a smile for some reason, "I expect you came to talk about something else though?"

"Yeah, I came here to keep my promise. Remember how I told you that you would be the first to know about me changing Familias?"

It might have been the trick of the light, but I swear her eyes glinted for a second but she yet again pushes up her glasses with a smile.

"I do indeed. Should I take a guess as to which one you joined?"

"I'll give you a hint: It starts with H and the only other member is a kid that's too trusting for his own good."

Eina giggles at my dry tone, "In that case, you'll need to bring Bell here tomorrow so he can verify that you've joined his Familia. After that, the Guild will officially recognize you as a member of the Hestia Familia."

"And that'll stop me from being blacklisted?" I ask Eina who gives me an affirmative nod. I feel my shoulders sag with relief as if a weight had been taken off.

Thank god. This could've gone a lot worse, all things considered.

"Thanks for your help, Eina. I honestly don't know what I would do without you."

Eina's cheeks light up in a small blush and I feel my lips curl up as my former advisor just tries to tell me she's just doing her job.

"W-Well, it's nothing really," Eina cutely stammers which I try and fail not to grin at, "I'm just doing my duty to help Adventurers…"

I smile at her bashfulness as I start to actually feel like things are going right for once.

Loki, you can suck a bag of dicks.

"In that case, I need to ask you something I probably should've asked you before."

"Hmmm?"

"Do you know where to buy weapons and armour?"

.

* * *

.

"It's getting pretty late...I wonder what could be taking John so long? I hope he hasn't run into any trouble," Bell mutters thoughtfully as he puts his shirt back on after his Goddess had updated his status.

"Hmmm," Hestia lets out a low hum as her thoughts wander, "I'm sure he's fine, Bell. He doesn't seem like the type to get into trouble."

She hopes at least.

The Goddess of the Hearth found herself wondering if she was cursed or something with her Familia. She wouldn't trade Bell for the world and now she has taken another child into her Familia, a mage of all things as well.

Even if it was a tiny bit selfish, she felt happy that Bell wouldn't go alone into the Dungeon anymore, even if John is...weird. And not just in demeanour or his strange clothes that she, a Goddess, has never seen before.

When she first laid eyes on the towering spell caster, her first thoughts is that something was...off about John. Something just wrong. She thought it was simply because he was offputting with those black bags under his eyes and his almost dead stare, not to mention his bulky clothes that made it seem like he was a thug.

Despite all of that though, she didn't get the feeling that John is a bad person, not really. That notion was only enforced when she was told about the Minotaur and how the thuggish-looking spell caster put his life on the line for Bell, even if he did say he didn't do much.

She ignored the pangs of frustration and jealousy in her heart when that woman came up in her mind.

But that feeling of _wrongness _she couldn't help but feel only intensified when she talked more and more with John. That feeling then skyrocketed when he told her about his 'Familia'.

Or lack of one.

True to his word, his bare back didn't have the Falna of a God imprinted upon it and as such, he wasn't part of a Familia. What convinced her wasn't the lack of Falna, however.

It was his lying.

Whether John knew about a God's ability to tell when they were being lied to or not, he was being completely honest when he said he wasn't part of a prior Familia or that he didn't have the Falna.

She only wished he was so open with everything else.

She had asked Bell about John but all she got was vague descriptions of a village that John claims he came from. She doesn't know if that village was fake like his name but she intends to find out, one way or another.

When John told her that Bell had promised him entry into the Familia, she wanted to scold Bell for promising such a thing. She would'at leastast liked some forewarning about a potential new member.

That feeling was quickly swept aside with a mixed feeling of greed, desperation and pity.

She won't lie to herself, her Familia is in a bit of dire straights right now. Having a second member, let alone a magic caster with prior experience who wasn't even part of another Familia, would do wonders and is a blessing she couldn't simply just turn down.

And though John tried to hide it, Hestia could only imagine why he would delve into the Dungeon with no one but himself for support. It was clearly for a reason beyond money but what reason that was, she had no idea. For that alone, it was only after a moment of talking with the spell caster that Hestia realised how alone he must feel.

Just like how she was. Just how like Bell was.

With all that, it was only obvious what her answer was.

Though she does wonder what Familia he rejected...

But when she actually bestowed John a Falna. It was then, that Hestia knew that John is just fundamentally _wrong_.

He felt...hollow. Empty. More than that, she swears she felt _something _push back against her and the Falna.

She would've never noticed it if she wasn't concentrating so hard but just as that something pushed back, it gave in and the process went smoothly as if nothing was out of the ordinary.

She had hoped that the Skill that popped up on his status would answer her questions.

It did not.

**[Geōmanteia: User can manipulate Earth in exchange for vast amounts of Mind. Decreases Mind usage for Earth-type spells. Increases Earth-type spells effectiveness. As long as user's feet remain on the Earth, their Mind will regenerate.]**

She couldn't help but compare it to Bells' newfound Skill that she, in a moment of childish jealousy, hid from him. She didn't know what was worse:

That John may have had a hand or that woman, Aiz, did.

Unlike Bell, she planned on telling John but he left before she could. Going by how he had to ask about magic when he himself is a mage, she doubts he even knows about Skills and Development Abilities much like how he knew almost nothing about magic.

Which just added to John's already glaring weirdness.

Just then she heard heavy footfalls come from the stone stairwell and she turns her head towards the noise.

"I'm back," She heard John's voice as he walks down the stairway, "Sorry for being late, I had some errands to run."

"Ah, John! Did everything go alright at the Guild?" Bell asks his fellow Familia member and Hestia tries to make sure her smile isn't so stiff.

"Yeah, it went okay. We're going have to go there tomorrow though just to show the Guild that I'm not lying but after that, this whole mess should be sorted finally."

"That's good to hear," Hestia gets up to greet the mage just as he comes into view. Her slightly stiff smile drops when she sees what he was carrying in his hand.

"John, what is that?" The Goddess points towards the large wrapped bundle that John is carrying with his hands.

"Ah, this is...well," As Hestia stares up at the usually sarcastic mage, she notices he couldn't look her in the eyes, unlike last time.

"I guess this is my thanks? For helping me out and stuff," John says like he was embarrassed to admit that he had got them a gift, "Look, let me show you."

Moving out of his way, Hestia and Bell watch with wide eyes as John places his gift onto the single wooden between the two old sofas. Unwrapping the paper bundle, both Hestia and Bell smelled a sort of salty scent coming from the bundle.

"Ohhhh…" Bell lets out a noise of wonder as the paper unwraps to reveal a large dry-cured ham, the inside bright red with small white veins of fat coursing through it. It's dull brown skin glistening with specks of salt as the light reflects off of it.

"So, I wanted to get like a cake or something but all the bakeries were closed. I gave up to try again tomorrow but I managed to find a butchers open up this late so I thought this would work instead. Grumpy old bastard made me pay extra for it, but I think this works better."

"Huh?" Hestia swivels her head upwards to look John straight in the eyes, which he subtly shifts to look behind her, something which Hestia herself did not miss.

"Well, it's just...a cake last for like what, a week before going off? With this, if we hang it up, it could last a good while. I think, at least."

"Hey, John...how much did this cost?"

"...Well, it wasn't the only thing I bought but I am flat broke right now," John shrugs uncaringly at Bells' shocked look, "And before you say anything Bell, don't worry about it. Just think of it as thanks for helping me out."

"But-"

_Growl~~_

John glances down at Bell as the child's face lights up in a blush and John tries but fails to hide his smirk.

"It doesn't look you guys have eaten yet so why not just dig in already? Besides, didn't Hestia say something about joining on a good day or something?"

"Oh! That's right, I got these potato snacks from a customer of mine today as thanks!"

"Potato snacks?" John mumbles under his breath with a frown and Hestia turns towards him, looking up with a big smile on her face.

"Yep, that's right! With this, we'll have a bigger celebration that I thought! Good work, John!"

With a flurry of activity, Hestia and Bell manage to get the utensils and wooden plates while John took it upon himself to prepare the food and disposing of the wrapping paper. Before long, the three of them sat around the small wooden table, thin strips of dried ham being carved by Bell with his knife and mugs full of water.

"Don't worry about me, Bell. I'm not that hungry."

"Eh?" Bell turns towards the mage, his sharp knife stopped just before he started slicing. Hestia stops nibbling on her strip of ham to frown at her new child.

"I had something to eat on the way over here-"

Yet again, another lie.

He wasn't lying about not being hungry, _but _he was lying about eating something.

Why? Why would he lie about such a thing? What could he gain from it? Why does he keep lying about small things like his name and now this, but tell her the truth about his lack of Falna?

John, is without a doubt in her mind, probably the weirdest human she's ever met.

But…

"That won't do at all, John! Tonight is a celebration for welcoming a new Familia member! For you! Are you really going to rude enough to not eat at something meant for you?"

John's eyes shift quickly from Hestia to the water-filled mugs, the potato snacks and strips of salty dried ham. A complex set of emotions that Hestia couldn't decipher flicker across his face until it settled on resignation.

"Well...It would be really rude if you're gonna put it like that," John lets out a sigh and gives Bell an apologetic smile, "Sorry for that. Can you dish me up some ham?"

With a warm smile, Bell carries on carving and passes John his own plate filled with food along with a mug of water.

"Now that's all settled," Hestia speaks up to catch Bell's and John's attention and lifts up her own mug with a grin.

With a smile, Bell lifts up his own mug and clinks it against Hestia's.

With a roll of his eyes but a small smile on his lips, John lifts up his own and clinks it against the other two:

"Cheers!"

And with that, the meal started in full.

Though Hestia notices John taking only the smallest sips of his drink and only tiny nibbles of ham, she didn't mind.

Instead of a sardonic smirk or a cynical smile like she saw before, instead, John was smiling without a hint of cynicism. It might be small and minute, but it's there. And that's good enough for her.

Yes, John may be a weird human.

But, she never once got the feeling he was _bad. _That he meant her or Bell harm.

She hopes in time, he'll trust them fully. But, that's for another day.

With smiles and laughter, the Familia talk well into the night. John's small but heartfelt smile never once dropping even as he falls asleep.

While it may not be as comfortable as sleeping on a bed like back the Hostess of Fertility, John fell asleep just as easily and, for once, hopeful for the future.

* * *

**I can already hear you guys groaning.**

**I played around with the idea of the SI joining an OC Familia or even the Loki Familia but I decided against it. The reason for joining Hestia is simple: For the themes of the fic, Hestia being the Goddess of Family and Home is simply too good to pass up and as some of you guys have already guessed, Bell acts as a foil to the SI which was kinda of the point. It may be a bit cliche, but it's not like cliches are bad.**

**One thing I want to talk about is the Outsider trait that some of you guys have misunderstood but the wording of it is kinda vague:**

**Let's talk about an example: Say a God wanted to kill the SI and use their Godly powers, or ****Arcanum as it's known in universe. They tried to smite him down with a lightning bolt or something but that wouldn't work as the Outsider Trait would react to it. That's the most blatant example of it, but there are more subtle effects that come to light as the fic moves along, some of which you can probably already see in the two chapters. **

**As for the lying thing. Considering that all Gods leave their powers back in the Heavens, I never really saw that as the Gods using their powers but more like a racial ability of Gods. Like Elf ears or something and from what I've read, both in the LN and the Wiki, no one really knows either. **

**But Anco, what about the Falna? How can the SI even have one? I hear you guys ask. Well, the answer is simple:**

**While the Outsider Trait is the SI's thing, the 'Gamer' takes higher priority. When it detected that John wasn't being forced into the Familia, it basically turned it off for a moment and let it happen. **

**Shitty reason? Maybe. But honestly, the 'Gamer' part of this fic is small compared to what I want to write as a story. I actually considered deleting the first chapter and this chapter to start over again, but I don't want to get into that habit. If I start getting rid of chapters because I think they can be better, nothing will get out. **

**The reason for this one taking so long is simple:**

**DMC 5. That game is amazing. Currently have it running in the background on Bloody Palace, 30th floor. Also, getting this chapter out was...frustrating to say the least. Lack of motiviation and all that, but that's all fixed. **

**Speaking of video games, I reinstalled Vampire the Masquerade because of the sequel and I forget how fun that game is, especially with mods and patches. **

**I'm very cautiously hopeful for the sequel though. I've read some of the things that the Devs have said and well...Let's just say there are some really big red flags popping up. Remember guys. Don't pre-order, wait for it to come out. Let other people pay for it and see if it's just another cash grab by Devs using a brand name. **

**You know, I'm kinda sad by the small amount of World of Darkness fics. You would think there would be more, but no. I'm not going to ramble for much longer, but after reading some of the editions for the table top, I have that writing bug again. Going to concentrate on my current fics though rather than on a whimsy.**

**I will write a vampire fic one day, mark my words.**

**Next fic update is going to be one that I haven't updated for months now, since November. I've neglected that one for too long and I want to get back into Overlord again.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Is It Wrong To Crawl My Way Back Home, One Dungeon Floor At A Time?**

**.**

* * *

My eyes snap open once again and I'm greeted by my usual sight.

**[Good morning! Because you slept in your Familia's-]**

And like usual, I swipe away the cobalt blue box and it fizzles out of existence. I slowly but surely move myself to sit upright on the old sofa and take a look around me, drinking in my surroundings. My place of residence that is currently a dim-lit basement of a broken-down church.

Can't see the sun down here, but I've probably woken up at the same time I usually do which means the sun is just rising.

But unlike the last times of me waking up, I'm not alone.

Because across from me, on the other sofa, sat the person, the reason, why I'm here. The other member of my...Familia.

Bell Cranel, who was currently letting out snores that remained me of a pet bunny I once had. Soft and cute would be the words to describe it.

It makes sense for him to still be sleeping. I would hesitate to call it a 'party' but Hestia seemed excited to have a new member of her Familia. A bit too excited in my opinion, but if she's happy, she's happy.

Speaking of the Goddess, I shift my gaze to the only bed down here where Hestia slept. I didn't mind her having the only bed, considering that she is my...Goddess now.

God, that's still weird to think about.

And even weirder is the currently empty bed.

What the hell? Where is-

"Mhmm…" I hear a cute little noise come from Bell.

Except Bell didn't make that noise. That was a more...girly groan.

At that moment, I see a small blob of something shift and move on top of Bell.

When did Bell get so fat?

Making sure to not make any noise standing up, I slowly walk over to behind Bell and I finally see where Hestia was currently hiding.

"...Oh dear," I mutter to myself quietly and I put my hand over my mouth, trying and failing to wipe away the grin that formed on my face.

As Hestia snuggled against Bell's chest, the white-haired kid blissfully unaware of the literal Goddess on him, I'm reminded of a similar scene back home.

I was visiting my brother and my sister-in-law as I usually do and I was hoping to see my niece's while I was visiting, but for some reason, they didn't come to greet me.

A few seconds later, I found out why: They were both sleeping together in their parent's bed, each one sleeping in the others arm.

It was adorable, to say the least.

And just like back then, I can't bring myself to wake them up.

I don't know if Bell is comfier than a bed, but the way Hestia is currently snuggling him, she doesn't seem to mind. She probably sleepwalked or something towards him.

Thank god it wasn't me. That could've been a disaster.

With a smirk, I leave the two of them alone and direct my attention to some other things.

Mainly the sheet of paper and the almost eaten ham on the table.

I slowly go around to the table and reach down to the paper sheet and read what's on it:

**John.**

**Strength: I 0**

**Endurance: I 0**

**Dexterity: I 0**

**Agility: I 0**

**Magic: I 0**

**Magic:**

**[Earth Spike: Projectile magic. Sends out sharpened stakes of stones at target. Force and number proportional to Magic stat. ****No Chanting Words. Release Spell: Earth Spike****.]**

**[Fireball: Projectile magic. Sends out a large, explosive ball of fire. No Chanting Words. Release Spell: Fireball.]**

**[Soothing Waters: Healing magic. Make a ball of water that heals injuries. Size and potency dependent on User. No ****Chanting Words. Release Spell****: Soothing Waters.]**

**Skills**

_**Geōmanteia**_

**[Geomancy]**

**[Increased effectiveness of Earth-type spells.]**

**[Decress Mind usage of Earth-type spells.]**

**[Mind regenerates as long as User's feet are touching Earth.]**

**[Can manipulate Earth but will require vast amounts of Mind. Will not activate with insufficient Mind.]**

When Hestia showed me this last night, it was probably at that point that I realised that I was probably meant to have a Falna at the start.

I still remember Bell's little face as he stared up at me with those shiny red eyes of his, practically glowing with wonder.

Of a Skill I didn't earn.

Hestia then explained to me what exactly Skills and Developmental Abilities are.

Skills are a personal thing to Adventurers, unique to each and every one of them, if they are lucky enough to have one in the first place. She explained that no one really knows what makes a Skill appear, but the consensus is that experience, actions and even race determine what kind of Skill appears. Elves are generally expected to have Skills related to magic while Dwarves have Skills related to physical strength.

Despite how varied Skills can _potentially _be, the truth is that a lot of them do the same stuff, just under different names. Those that can actually do unique stuff are called Rare Skills.

When I asked about my Skill, Hestia just laughed awkwardly and said that a Skill relating to magic for a spellcaster isn't that abnormal. One relating to a particular element isn't unheard of, but certainly rare.

What went unsaid is that those people are probably trained mages and fighters while I'm just...me.

After that, Bell was telling Hestia all about the **Earth Spikes **that I threw in the Dungeon and that may be the reason for my Skill.

I was only half-listening though. I was too busy staring at the piece of paper I'm currently holding.

I had a feeling last night, a niggling feeling in the back of my mind that I saw something like this before. Not only that, but I also couldn't believe the fact that so many of the stats I was looking at are so similar to the 'Gamer Mode'.

But, I have my own theory about that. Something I spent most of last night thinking about.

Before I figured it out though, Hestia told me in no uncertain words that Skills and Statuses, in general, are a private affair between the Skill holder and their Familia. Not surprised, if you get into a fight with someone, you don't want them knowing all your tricks.

The other thing was Developmental Abilities. She didn't really expand on those too much. Just they appear when someone levels up and what appears depends on what the Adventurer does during that time.

One example she gave me was the **Mage **Developmental Ability. Basically, it made me a better Mage. Shocker, that.

And I then asked the all mighty question. The one thing above all else that was eating at me:

How the hell do I level up?

The answer I got was...awful.

Or at least some of it was. One of the conditions I must get one of my Basic Abilities, stats for my Falna basically, to D rank, whatever the hell that is.

Easy enough. But it was the second thing that got me:

"_You have to impress us!"_

_I look at the short but energetic Goddess with a raised brow while Bell lets out an awkward laugh, "Who is 'us'?"_

"_Us! The Gods!" Hestia puffs her substantial chest out in pride, jiggling as if tempting me to look at them, "Basically, you have to do something really impressive, like kill a Floor Boss solo or something like that!"_

"_But Gods don't enter the Dungeon. How do you know if I do something 'impressive'?"_

"_With the Falna of course!"_

That seems to be the answer for everything. The Falna was a record of my deeds and if a deed was 'impressive' enough, I would automatically level up or something like that.

I...didn't like that system. At all.

It put people in massive amounts of danger just for the chance to level up. Maybe I'm underestimating how much of a power boost a level up is but I still don't like it.

Plus side though that means I can grind my stats without worrying about levelling up any time soon so it ain't all bad.

Which if anything, just proves my theory.

I glance towards the two sleeping occupants and slowly and surely make my way to the other side of the table.

Where the ham I brought as a gift laid there, almost entirely gone.

They don't look like it, but hot damn, can Bell and Hestia put away the food. I wonder if Bell is just growing, but Hestia is a Goddess, right? Does she even get taller? Hell, does her body even change at all?

Questions for another time.

It would be mortifying if Bell woke up right now and saw me standing here, boring holes into the ham with my eyes.

How could I explain to him that this ham was the first thing I ate in…

Christ, it would be little over a month. That's as long as I've been here.

Truth be told, I kinda...forget how it tasted. How anything tasted in general. Humans can go three weeks without food and three days without water. Any longer, then they'll die.

If they go any longer but don't die, do they even remember the taste of food? I guess I answered that question myself.

It was...nice, honestly. Eating and drinking again. They were one of life's main pleasures, even if it was just ham, potato snacks and water.

And rather than just sitting alone among the crowd like back at the Hostess of Fertility like a piece of pond scum floating on its own, I was a part of it.

...I shouldn't get too comfortable with these two. I'm going to reach the end of the Dungeon one day.

"Mhmm…"

With a small shuffle, Bell moves softly against the mini Goddess who lets out a suspiciously small giggle and grabs ahold of Bell even tighter.

But still, that's no excuse to neglect Hestia or Bell. I'm part of this whole group thing now and that means pulling my weight around. Going deep into the Dungeon and supporting the Familia practically goes hand in hand anyway.

And now, to check on the rest of the stuff I bought yesterday.

Making sure not to make too much noise, I make my way towards the stairs.

.

* * *

.

"Objective."

**[Welcome to the world of Danmachi! A world of Gods, women and adventure! Sometimes all three together! 'Why am I here?! What about back home?! How did I get here!?' I hear you asking and more. Let me answer those for you!**

**Who cares! You're here now and that's all that matters! The taste of adventure, the tale of Gods and maybe even the possibility of having a woman or two by your side and in your bed! All of that and more can be yours! With the help of this 'Gamer Mode' you don't have to sweat about the small stuff like food or drink!**

Same old, same old.

Except that wasn't what I'm looking for this time.

Reading this again after getting my Falna and the message that popped up last time, I'm certain that whoever or whatever sent me here, sent me here intending to join a Familia and acquire the Falna.

The whole feel of this message just screamed to me that I'm supposed to 'enjoy' myself or something stupid like that by becoming an Adventurer and…

I think it wants me to woo the ladies? Fat chance of that happening, I'm terrible with the fairer sex.

In any case, it was clear to me that I've been doing this all wrong.

I have no idea how this thing works and the way I was acting before didn't help me at all in that regard, but the instance I joined a Familia and got a Falna, I suddenly understood something about it.

It wanted this. It wanted me to become an Adventurer, a proper one. And I have proof as well.

My Skill. **Geōmanteia**.

It was a freebie.

It reminded me of an MMO I used to play, World of Warcraft. When you reached level 10, you could pick a Specialization for your character or spec as it was called. Depending on the class, you could choose a tank, a DPS or a healing spec.

And you would also get free spells for that spec.

That's what my Skill was. A freebie, a trophy for the 'milestone' I reached. I'm sure if I didn't meet any of the requirements, I wouldn't get a Skill in the first place but that didn't happen. Because I went into the Dungeon and got my **WIS **up and used **Earth Spikes **religiously in the Dungeon on the account of being my cheapest spell, I was qualified for **Geōmanteia**.

It was a carrot. It jangled a juicy bit of bait in front of me as if to say "You got this awesome thing, imagine what else you can get!"

And the stick? Putting my life on the line for this stuff in the first place.

"Inventory," I all but snarled out.

**Valis: 0**

**Magic stones(small): 0**

**Weight: 25/50**

Just like before a dark blue screen pops up with a multitude of empty boxes except for the first four which are full, one of which holding my dagger.

The first one I point at and a text appears in front of me:

**[Flanged Mace**

**A steel grey flanged mace with 6 blunt, angry-looking edges that protrude outwards. Despite being made by a greenhorn of the Hephaestus Familia, this mace is considered high quality. Due to its plain and boring look, however, it didn't catch anyone's eyes but yours. Strong and durable, your first proper weapon as an Adventurer.**

**REQ: 15 STR.]**

Eina, you're too good to me. If it wasn't for her, I would've never have guessed that Babel is more than just a tall tower and to check the back of the stores for more affordable prices.

I've seen the stupid amount of money on the window stills in front of weapon and armour shops, but that didn't deter me. I know the whole shtick about putting on the most flashy and expensive looking weapons upfront for all to see so they can draw in higher-class customers.

With that in mind, I click the box again and I feel a sudden weight on my right hand.

Giving the mace a few practice swings, I feel satisfaction rise up in me. Both due to the weapon itself and due to something else I discovered about the mace.

I didn't find it heavy. At all.

Oh, it had some weight to it, much more than the knife in fact, but it didn't feel heavy to the point of being a burden.

Which probably was due to the **STR **requirement on it, which I didn't even know existed until now.

The reason there was no requirement on the knife was probably because it was my starter weapon and if this thing is acting like a video game, then it stands to reason that the starter weapon shouldn't have any requirements to wield.

I'm not a master at melee combat or anything and I doubt I'll ever be. Hell, the first thing I asked the shopkeeper is something anyone could use.

Hence, the mace. A nice, heavy bludgeon to use that requires no to little skill to use effectively.

And with the second item I bought…

**[Kite Shield**

**A large teardrop-shaped kite shield made by the same greenhorn. Surprisingly lightweight and sturdy due to being made from the fur of a Metal Rabbit, however, its lack of decoration and colour once again means it was passed over for something else.]**

No requirements for this one, but it does say that it's lightweight so maybe that's the reason. No idea what a Metal Rabbit is but I can take a guess.

With a touch, the kite shield appears on my left arm. Unlike my mace, I don't feel the weight of it but giving a few raps with my knuckle tells me what I want to know.

It was a smooth blank canvas with only the dull steel grey to been seen.

Perfect.

And now for the last thing I bought. The one thing that _rinsed _me of all my Valis.

Before last night, I had about 120,000 Valis, that's with handing in the War Shadow's talon. The simple reason for hoarding so much money is simply because I didn't spend it on anything. Surprising how much something builds up if you just let it.

The mace, the shield and the ham cost about 20,000 altogether.

This? This cost me everything else.

I click on it:

**[The Apprentice's Staff.**

**Your staff that signifies you as a Mage. Despite the withered looking wood and frayed branches, you can feel the sturdiness of it. With a single low-quality spell stone embedded on the top, this staff is your first stepping stone as a full-fledged Mage.**

**REQ: WIS 20**

**EFFECT: +15 MP. Increased damage and healing with spells. WARNING! If magic exceeds the spell stone's capacity, the stone will shatter.]**

And the old hag said she gave it to me at half price. What a bunch of bollocks.

Still though, she seems to know what she was talking about…

.

* * *

.

"This isn't scary at all," I mutter to myself as I stand outside the old looking door in the dead of night.

I remember Ryu telling me about needing a staff, but I waved her off. I still don't think I need one, but I'm going to face facts here.

I thought a lot of things and I was proven wrong on almost all of them. I'm not going to be wrong on this.

Back when I still lived at the Hostess of Fertility, I recall a Mage talking highly about a certain Mage/shopkeeper called Leona. I didn't take any notice of it, but it was the kinda thing that stood out to me. Ryu even not so subtly hinted at me that I should visit her.

With that in mind, I asked around and this is where my search led me to. In a dark alleyway and a door that goes below ground level.

Amazing.

The lights are on, so that's a good sign. I hear some voices inside but everything was kinda muffled.

So she's still open, even at this late at night.

Well whatever. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

As soon as I push open the door, I'm assaulted by a variety of smells and sights. It was only a little bit lighter compared to the night outside, but that just made it seem even more dim and dark. A waft of something herbal hits my nose, but it wasn't that unpleasant. Smelt a bit like a mixture of basil and parsley.

Rows and rows of glass cases and stands line the surprisingly small shop, filled with a variety of staffs, not one of them looking the same. The only thing they had in common was the purple crystal embedded on them along with other trinkets that I can't make head or tails of.

"Oh my, a new customer," A voice like creaking floorboards break me out of my stupor and I look at the source.

The one thing that sprung out to me was how stereotypical she was. She had a long hooked nose that was covered in warts along with her wrinkled face. She wore a black witches hat and a black robe.

Holy shit, it's a witch.

She wasn't alone either. There were two Elves currently staring at me, one older looking or at least taller than the other one.

The taller one has long jade coloured hair done up in a ponytail, her eyes the same colour. She wore a white robe and beneath it, a bright green tunic, a contrast to the witch, and her ears were longer and more pointed than Eina's.

The shorter Elf has long strawberry orange hair and big blue eyes, her ears are just as sharp but not as long. Her dress was more girly than the older Elf with a bright pink scarf thing, a white shirt and skirt.

"Feel free to have a look around," The black witch tells me, her old croaking voice reminding me of my dead grandmother, "I'll be with you in just a moment."

Giving the witch, who I can only presume is Leona, a nod, I go and torture myself by looking at cool things I have no way to afford.

The thought of stealing something by shoving it into my inventory crosses my mind but I disregard that. Stealing something else that someone worked hard on is a scummy move and if I can't afford the cheapest staff here, I'll just grind Valis until I can. I wasn't raised a thief.

One staff made out a whitish looking metal stood out to me and I glance at the price tag-

...Wow. If Bell saw this, he would have a heart attack.

Moving on, I go from staff to staff and whatever bauble this shop has. I feel a pair of eyes on me at almost all times, but nothing that makes me worried. Probably the shop owner making sure I don't do anything.

And then I see it.

A large withered looking book with markings I didn't recognize on the used leather. It was locked in a glass case all by itself with a plush red pillow beneath it.

The price tag, however…

That made even my head spin and I have over 100,000 Valis on me right now.

What the kind of book is more expensive than a bloody magical staff? What kind of logic does that make?

"Heh heh, see something you like, boy?"

I turn my eyes towards the source of the croaking voice to find the witch smirking at me with striking eyes while the Elves just stared at me like a freak show.

...In fact, where have I seen that hair before? I feel like I've seen it before.

"Less 'like' and more morbidly curious," I dryly say to the old witch who lets out a chortle that sounds like sawdust being hacked up, "Listen, I don't want to interrupt but I am in a rush…"

The old witch glances towards the older Elf who gives her a small nod. The wrinkled witch gives me a grin full of crooked and yellowed teeth, "Now then, is there anything I can do for you, boy?"

I give the jade haired Elf a polite nod of thanks and look at the witch, "Let me be straight with you; I have 100,000 Valis on me right now. Is that enough to get a staff from here?"

"Hmmm…" The old lady rubs her chin in thought, "I might have something in the back. Wait here a moment, if you will…"

She shuffles back from the counter to enter in a back room, leaving me alone with the two Elves.

Who are still staring at me.

What is with this place and the bloody nosy Elves?

"Excuse me-"

Oh for god's sake.

"-But you wouldn't happen to be John, would you?"

"No," I smoothly and immediately lie through my teeth, barely glancing at the older Elf, "I have no idea who that is."

Can I ever just go somewhere and do something without a weird person approaching me? First, it was Loki pissing me off, then that Ais girl almost killing me and now this?

"Truly? But you match his description," The jade haired Elf says to me dubiously, eyeing me strangely while her little pet Elf looks between me and her.

"Then you must've been given a terrible description."

I know I'm kinda being a dick, but if I enter a shop that's practically hidden in the city and someone I don't know suddenly just asks me my name? Yeah, like hell I'm giving her name. Well, my fake name but the point still stands.

The older Elf stares right through me and I stare back, almost challenging her to call on my bluff. It was obvious that I was lying through my teeth because the description no doubt included my clothes and features. At this point, I was just lying for the sake of lying.

Well, that and because I want to see how long this lasts.

"I suppose I must be mistaken then," The elven woman says slowly, her voice smooth and cool, my lips twitching slightly at the look of the smaller elf who seems like a deer caught in headlights, "Which is a shame. I was hoping to apologise to him on behalf of my Familia."

"Oh?" I couldn't quite keep the surprise out of my voice, not realising that these people even knew what "sorry" meant, "Why is that?"

"Does that concern you?" The elf asks me mildly and I can't even tell if she's playing along or not at this point, though her little hanger-on looks between us with a cutely confused frown on her face, "If you're not the one I'm looking for, then what is the point of telling you?"

"Just making conversation," I say easily enough to the Elf who lets out a low hum that told me next to nothing, "Though I suppose it is a bit rude of me not to have introduced myself yet; Names Arnold."

"Arnold?" The Elf says with a minuscule tone of disbelief tinging her words, though I have to strain my ears to even hear it, "And you don't know who I am, by any chance?"

"Well, if I say all Elves look the same, that would be incredibly racist of me and untrue," I say bluntly with an uncaring shrug as the jade-haired Elf just raises a delicate eyebrow at me while the younger Elf gapes at me in offended shock which I can't blame her for.

"Yes, on both accounts," The Elf says with a coolness that boarded on cold, her jade coloured eyes hiding anything she's feeling as she stares at me, "A piece of advice if you wouldn't mind; Keep that tongue of yours still. You never know when you might be talking to someone of import."

"And when I meet them, I'll be sure to be all rainbow and bursts of sunshine as I regal them with pleasantries to make them feel of fuzzy inside," I say drooly, each word coming out of my mouth thick and dry as my lips twitch upwards at the Elf.

"Y-You should be more respectful!" A sudden stumbling voice spoke up without warning and my gaze lowers down just a bit to see the second, so far silent, Elf speak up, "You're speaking to Lady-!"

The second Elf is a dainty little thing with thin, small limbs. Her hands seem to be clenched into tiny fists, her big wide innocent blue eyes staring at me. Dressed in a cute, homely outfit with a blue bow around her neck and collar, she couldn't have come up to more than my chest in height. Her hail, unlike the older Elf's, is a long bright orange that glints

So far, the quiet little thing has just been that. It seems like she was almost entranced by the back and forth between me and this "Lady". I suppose it says something that she only spoke up now when I told this important-looking woman that she wasn't of "import."

"Liveria," The older Elf spoke up calmly and purposefully, making the smaller Elf snap her confused gaze up and she simply glances down at the smaller Elf whose words die as she closes her mouth, her sapphire eyes cast down.

"My name is Liveria, Arnold. And this is my apprentice, Lefi," Liveria says, giving me a nod which is followed, albeit a bit jittery and stuttering, by her apprentice, Lefi whose uncomfortable glances don't go unnoticed by me.

If that's a lie, she's exquisite at hiding it. Lefi, less so, but I can't quite tell if she's uncomfortable with giving out their real names to a shifty stranger or because it's actually a lie.

"Nice to meet you," I say anyway, giving both of them a polite nod, "So, what brings the two of you here? I take it you're Mages as well, but I don't see any staves on you."

"I could say the same of you, Arnold," Liveria says lightly enough that I don't think it's meant as an insult, turning her gaze to the back room where Leona went, "But I suppose you could say I'm just browsing, as of right now."

"Well, good luck buying anything in here," I say with a huff, shaking my head, "I came here because I thought 100,000 Valis was enough to buy a staff, even if it was a poor one. Seeing these prices though, I might have to start saving up."

"Or sell off some of my organs," I say lightly, making Lefi's face go blanche at my blunt tone, "Humans don't need two kidneys, after all. Don't know how it is with Elves though."

"I can assure you, if you didn't have enough Valis, Leona wouldn't waste your time like this so I would recommend waiting for a while longer," Liveria says dryly, making me smirk just a little bit, "Though I will tell you that 100,000 is not usually enough for a Mage's staff, no. 200,000 would be the price, but it is usually something a Familia pitches in rather than the Mage's responsibility."

"My Familia is poor so that's not going to happen," I say quickly, shaking my head at the Elf, a small flash of surprise lightning up her jade-coloured eyes, "And if I have to work for another 100,000, I will. I can get that, easy."

Well, not easy. Just tedious and long. Not eating or drinking does wonders for saving up money.

"A Familia is supposed to support each other," Liveria says the words like a teacher scolding a student, making my brow arch at her tone, "And if you would like to talk practicality, making sure that every Familia member has sufficient amount of weapons and armour is only common sense."

"And I agree, hundred percent," I say easily enough, nodding my head as I look at Liveria who seems more interested in my words than I like, "But the reality is that they can't. They would, the bloody idiots that they are. I have no doubt they would be put themselves in debt so I can get a shitty staff for 200,000, maybe even go more so I can get a good staff, but I'm not going to burden them with a massive loan that we don't need."

"I keep hearing all this stuff about how Familia are supposed to support each other, especially the Mages due to how fragile or whatever bollocks people spew at me, but there is a stark difference between a Familia supporting you and then carrying you around because you're dead weight."

A dead silence falls after my little tirade and I feel my cheeks heat up as Liveria seems especially amused at my words while Lefi can't seem to look at me anymore, looking away with a complicated expression on her face.

"My apologies," I say with a cough that was forced for all to hear, "It's been a trying day. I didn't mean to blow up at the both of you like that. I'm sorry."

"It's quite alright," Liveria says, her lips turning into a small smile for whatever reason, "It seems you're quite close with your Familia. If you don't mind, might I have the name?"

"Yahweh's Familia," I say quickly, making her small smile drop for some reason, quickly turning into a frown and making Lefi blink at me, "You wouldn't have heard of it."

"To the contrary, I have heard of it before," Liveria says and there is something in her voice I couldn't quite place. Before I could follow up on what she means exactly, the sound of faint footsteps and the smell of crushed herbs waft into the room.

I turn to see Leona, the old witch, holding something in her hands and a glint in her sharp old milky eyes. With a small witch-like cackle, she lays down something on to the crystal clear counter, "Heheh, this could just be the thing for you, boy,"

It was about 4, 5 feet in length. Made out of a long, twisted branch of dark, almost black wood, the staff seems like it's been naturally grown rather than artificially made. At the top is a what I can only describe as a crown of sprouting thorns or a splayed out bit of wood, going off in every direction.

At the top of the crown, a smallish purple stone sits at the top, the thorns twisting around in a sort of dome of wood. It reminded of a Magic Stone of a monster, I realised. About the size of a War Shadows, I would say, maybe a bit smaller. It glows and glints in the low light of the shop, an enticing object.

But it's too...clean to be a Magic Stone. Magic Stones are gems that are roughly hewn, more like bits and pieces of purple rock than actual gems. This one though, it's like an amethyst jewel, cut clean and perfectly straight edges.

"May I?" I ask Leona politely who gives me a mirthful nod, her grin widening for whatever reason as I gingerly take the staff within my grasp.

As soon as I do, the familiar cobalt blue screen flares up that only I can see and my eyes dart to it:

**[The Apprentice's Staff.**

**A staff that signifies a novice Mage. Despite the withered looking wood and frayed branches, it is as sturdy as oak. With a single low-quality spell stone embedded on the top, this staff is a stepping stone to anyone who wants to be a full-fledged Mage.**

**REQ: WIS 20**

**EFFECT: +15 MP. Increased damage and healing with spells. WARNING! If magic exceeds the spell stone's capacity, the stone will shatter.]**

Spell stones? Wasn't this a Magic Stone? Hell, this could be the Gamer thing messing with me for all I know.

The Requirement didn't surprise me in the least. The flanged mace I bought had the same thing, just with STR instead. I'm almost tempted to take hold of a weapon that I couldn't use, just to see what would happen.

But that's for another time.

"So," I say slowly, looking over the old witch, a grin showing off her yellowed teeth and I just noticed that her nails are more like pointed claws, "Let's talk price."

That got an actual laugh out of the old witch, the sound of it like chalk being shredded and just as painful as I would expect it to sound.

"Hehehehe, you're a cocky boy, aren't you? You come in here, with only half of what you should have and you want to haggle with little old me? Going into the Dungeon alone has made you a bit arrogant, it seems, John."

I don't bother asking her how she knows that because it seems like I've built something of a reputation somehow, but without acknowledging the name, I simply give a shrug, even as the stares of the Elves bore into the side of my head.

"Still though, you wouldn't have brought this in front of me if you weren't willing to sell it," I claim rather than ask and Leona's grin turns almost greedy but not quite, "So, second verse, same as the first; Let's talk price."

"You have some interesting words, boy but this isn't going to be a haggle. 100,000 Valis. Not a single less, not a single more."

"Deal."

Without hesitation, I put the pouch that holds quite literally of my finances onto the counter and just like that, the description of my staff changes:

**[The Apprentice's Staff.**

**Your staff that signifies you as a Mage. Despite the withered looking wood and frayed branches, you can feel the sturdiness of it. With a single low-quality spell stone embedded on the top, this staff is your first stepping stone as a full-fledged Mage.**

**REQ: WIS 20**

**EFFECT: +15 MP. Increased damage and healing with spells. WARNING! If magic exceeds the spell stone's capacity, the stone will shatter.]**

Perfect, I think to myself, my lips twitching up into a gratified smile.

"Tch, and all that talk about haggling but you cave in so easily," Leona clicks her tongue at me, but the sparkle of mirth in her eyes told me something else, which I return with a chuckle on my own.

"I've worked in businesses before, Miss Leona. I know a good deal when I see it and more importantly when to take it," I say with no small sense of satisfaction in my words, glancing towards my newly minted staff.

"Don't call me 'Miss', boy. It makes me feel far too old."

I chuckle at that, despite how serious she said it.

The MP gain is already worth its weight in Valis for me and I probably would've spent it on that alone. Increased damage and healing with spells on top of that?

200,000 is looking a bit cheap from where I'm standing. Though the fact that this old hag gave it to me at 100,000 Valis is a bit of a red flag to me, including her knowing my "real" name. Maybe she'll ask for the other 100,000 at a later date or maybe she'll twist my arm for a favour.

Maybes are all I can guess at right now, anyway. What I can do, is go into the Dungeon once again and start making my way down.

The whole "spell stone capacity" is a bit of a mystery to me, however. A mystery that I'll try solving right now.

"This jewel, here," I point to the entrapped violet gem in a dome of twisted branches at the top, "It looks like a Magic Stone, but it's a bit...clean, I guess? What is it?"

"That is called a Spell Stone," Liveria speaks up in a practised, almost teacher-like tone, "Made from a Magic Stone of a monster, they can channel the magic from your spells, focusing them and increasing their potency. I'm surprised you didn't know about them, 'Arnold'."

"Please, call me John," I say with a shrug to Liveria whose eyes of jade narrow at me, "Arnold was my sister's name."

"Your parents named your sister...Arnold?" Lefi says with such genuine confusion, that I couldn't help my smile turning into an amused grin while Liveria just shakes her head at my words.

So, these are made from Magic Stones, hm? I wonder if I could make something like this…

I shake my head at the thought, driving it out. One thing at a time, John. One thing at a time. You're currently broke, you have a ham wasting away in your inventory and you're running late. Find out next time you come into this creepy old shop.

"I suppose that means my business is concluded here," I say with a nod to Leona and the Elven duo, "If I come back, it'll be with actual spending money."

"I look forward to it, boy," Leona croaks out a laugh, "Try to keep doing the impossible, hm? Hearing about another Human Mage making such a fuss is the best fun I've had in quite some time."

The word 'impossible' stood out to me, more than anything else than what she said for some reason.

It wasn't impossible.

That was the thought that flashed in my mind, but the words didn't escape my lips. With a simple nod, I make my way outside.

"I would like to have a word with you, John," The voice of Liveria spoke up, making me stop for a moment as I turn my head to see the older Elf walk to me, "Leifya, stay here for a moment, will you?"

"L-Lady Riv-?" A quick glance shut her up though to me, it didn't look that harsh. The small Elf, Leifya, nods her head rapidly and lets out a cute noise when Leona starts darkly chuckling.

"Hehehe, don't worry little girlie. You're safe with me."

"Don't torment her too much, Leona."

I'm sure whatever I'm about to go through will be much worse.

Without waiting for my answer, Liveria walks by me and outside the shop, into the cold air night.

A sigh escapes my lips and without anywhere to really run to, I follow her out, feeling the stares of Leifya on my back.

.

* * *

.

"I owe you an apology."

That was the first words Liveria say to me as I followed and to say they caught me off guard would be the equivalent of saying that the night air is a bit chilly.

"I'm surprised that you're going straight for that considering how I just lied so blatantly to your face."

The faint silver moon-light is enough for me to see her lips twitch into a frown, but she simply gives me a knowing stare as if expecting it.

"My Goddess told me that you were a liar and a good one at that. I must admit if you weren't wearing those clothes and if Bete didn't give me such a...vivid description of your features, I would've almost believed you."

"Almost, but not quite," I point out, a frown marring my face, "What gave it away?"

"The fact that you didn't know who I was and your...peculiar vocabulary," Liveria says the last word as if it was slightly beneath her to say, "Indeed, despite my years of travelling, I've never heard of the word 'bollocks' before."

"It means testicles," I say bluntly, watching as Liveria froze up like a statue, her face slowly twisting into a disgusted grimace.

"I see you know what those are, though."

The grin on my face as she shook her head is wide and the bubble of laughter that almost escaped my throat is forced down. For now, at least.

"Moving on," Liveria says with no small amount of force, "The fact of the matter is that my Familia has been...quite boorish, for the lack of a better word, when it comes to you and them. Not only did my Goddess offend you for no real reason, but my Familia members have also insulted and assaulted you, while in the Dungeon."

My head tilts as I think over what exactly she's saying here. No doubt she's from the Loki Familia as that's the only one that I can think of at the moment.

But the assault thing is...well, it's coming up blank for me.

That guy with the wolf ears was a prick and Loki outed me despite all my efforts, but the fact of the matter is none of them laid a hand on m…

"Wait," I say suddenly, a laugh escaping my laughs as the image of a small girl with flowing blond hair and a blank stare appears in my mind, "Are you talking about Ais? How she gave me a small tap on the head?"

"She tried to knock you out."

The serious way she said just made me shake my head, the grin on my face just spreading even wider until it almost hurt.

"Look, it's not like she did it out of malice or anything." I started to explain but the Elf just holds up her hand, stopping me.

"I know why she did it and I even agree on some level, but the issue remains that she went to a drastic measure when she didn't have to."

"To be honest, it was probably the only thing she could do," I say with a shrug, earning a confused stare from Liveria. I lean back on the stone-cold wall, the chill of it ripping through my clothes and tingling up my spine while I place my staff beside me.

"I wasn't in the...straightest of minds. If a Minotaur didn't kill me, then a War Shadow or a Frog Shooter would've," I say simply and honestly, laying out the facts as I see them.

"Ais saved my life, more than once. If she didn't stop me, we wouldn't be talking right now. There's no need to apologise for that."

Liveria stays silent for a moment, looking at me weirdly for a moment and a hum escapes her throat as she looks over me.

"Ais is Level 5 and you are Level 1," Liveria says all of a sudden, "Are you saying that you're able to withstand a single hit from an Adventurer that is 4 levels above you?"

"No, I almost died," I say simply, not even really lying as my HP at that time was in the single digits, making Liveria blink at me, "And she probably held herself back a ton from actually caving in my skull. And do you know how hard it is to knock someone out? It takes more than a simple knock on the head."

"I suppose you have a point," Liveria says after a silent second, but something in her tone doesn't quite set me at ease as I thought it would, "Even so, she's been quite morose about it. She may have a difficult time with people, but she's a good person at heart."

"Don't worry, I could tell. She gave me back an item that I thought I lost when she didn't need to," I tell Liveria and she goes to say something before a thought strikes me.

"Actually, can you tell her I said thank you?" I ask Liveria all of a sudden, making her stop, "If she didn't bring me that back, I wouldn't have been able to sell it which means I wouldn't have had enough for this."

I nudge my head towards my new staff, a certain feeling of satisfaction rising within my chest that makes me almost giddy.

I won't say it, but I owe Ais more than she could know. Without her, I wouldn't have the Valis to buy my equipment or the ham. Oh, I'm broke again but when you take the fact that I don't need to eat or drink, money only has one use to me right now:

How fast can I reach the bottom of the Dungeon?

The fact that I wasn't using it before was stupid and naive of me. With this, I should break through the Sixth Floor barrier, easily.

And after that?

A Floor a day, just like before.

"I will," Liveria says with a small smile on her face, lit by the silver moonlight, it almost seemed to have an otherworldliness beauty attached to it, "You know, Lady Loki was quite upset over your rejection. Reaching the Sixth Floor in just over a week, solo. Some would call that insane."

"And what about you?" I ask lightly and in an instant, the smile is gone. Replaced by a piercing stare that made me go still.

"I think you need to realise what your actions will entail, sooner or later," Liveria says almost coldly, making me frown, "Going down at such a rapid rate will make you leave others behind in your mad quest, whatever it may be. Are you really alright with that?"

"What are you, my mother?" I snort out, unimpressed at what she said, but her cold stare remains and I couldn't keep my own glare down.

"Look, what I do is my business and my business alone. I would prefer it if you didn't try to act like we're part of the same Familia or something."

Liveria's stare carries on for a few seconds, but she does give me a mindful nod, looking away from me for a moment, "My apologies, I suppose you just reminded me of a certain girl. But as you say, we're not part of the same Familia so your business is with them alone."

"Thank you," I say with a grateful nod, letting out a tired sigh, "It's getting a bit late now, so I'll be on my way. Unless there is anything else you want to pry in my personal life?"

"Just one thing," And I swear the Elf flashes a smirk at me, but it's hard to tell in such a lowly lit area, "The Familia you're a part of. What is it?"

"I told you-"

"You told me a lie," Liveria says sharply, cutting through my words, "If you don't wish to tell me, then it is simple as not telling me. So many lies will make a cage around you, eventually."

She says that, but I don't believe her. We've only just met and here she is, lecturing me about what I do or say. At least buy me a drink first, Jesus.

"If we're talking about lies, you still haven't told me your true name," I point out rather sharply, giving her a pointed glare while she blinks at me, "And I told you my name. Don't you think you're being a bit unfair, expecting me to be truthful with you when you're not being truthful with me?"

"Are you forgetting which one of us started this childish game in the first place?" Liveria snapped which made me grin slightly as she let out a sigh of her own, shaking her head.

"My name is Riveria Ljos Alf, Vice-Captain of the Loki Familia."

"...Liveria? Really?"

All I got in return is a mild glare which I roll my eyes at. I clear my voice, all imperial and royal-like as if I'm about to announce world peace or something.

"John, Rookie of the Hestia Familia."

That got a blink out of Riveria for whatever reason, but I couldn't bother to find out why. I had something to get back to.

"I've wasted enough time," I say somewhat rudely, frowning as I do so. I push myself off of the cold wall, grabbing ahold of my staff, "I need to get back to my Familia before they start worrying. It was nice talking to you, Liveria."

"Was that another lie?" She says to me as I walk past her and I simply flash her a smirk which her frowns deeper, "And I would prefer it if you called me by my actual name."

"I'm sure you would. Goodnight, Liveria."

With that, I walk off, leaving the jade-haired Elf to glare at the back of my head before she mutters something under her breath and she walks back into the store. With her out of sight, the staff in my hand disappears into thin air safely kept in my Inventory.

Elves. Always nosy. At least it's Eina's job to be nosy.

.

* * *

.

The staff doesn't even have half of the weight of the mace. Despite that, it felt heavier in a sense. With the mace and shield back in my Inventory, I take my time looking over what could be considered a crossroads for me.

Going full Mage has its own set of pros and cons, just as going into a sort of Magic Knight, if that makes any sense.

The fact of the matter is that my spells are rather lacklustre than what I've heard of. A simple one, two-word spells that, while useful and maybe even somewhat impressive, simply aren't the spells of a Mage. They're more suited to use in conjunction in close combat. If I had to compare it, I have bullets while other Mages might have artillery.

That's not to say they're bad. Just that they should be used differently which is the precise reason I got the mace and shield.

But then I got to thinking.

"Skills," I say out loud, trying to see if it would really work.

A large cobalt blue screen explodes into my view and to my dull shock, there it is, at the very top.

_**Geōmanteia**_

**[Geomancy]**

**[Increased effectiveness of Earth-type spells.]**

**[Decress Mind usage of Earth-type spells.]**

**[Mind regenerates as long as User's feet are touching Earth.]**

**[Can manipulate Earth but will require vast amounts of Mind. Will not activate with insufficient Mind.]**

Hrm. The wording is exactly the same. I thought it would be worded differently, to kinda translate it into Gamer terms, but no. It's the same.

Despite the vague wording, the intent was clear: Rather using a set spell, I can use this Skill instead to do an attack with rocks, custom to my design.

This Skill and this Skill alone makes me consider to go full Mage.

The word 'vast' makes me think 75% of my MP, which I guess stands for Mind Points rather than Mana Points. Or maybe 50% if I'm being generous.

Despite the cost, it's good. Really good. The passive bonuses alone are insane, but the active is simply golden.

With this, going full Mage wouldn't only be possibly the best route it might be the only route for me, realistically. Going for a jack of all trades can be useful, alone or in a party, but I'll never have that raw firepower I'll need to kill something like a Minotaur if I try and get the best of both worlds.

But going for a Magic Knight thing might not be so bad either. I'll be able to take a hit, I have a heal, I have ranged options and with this mace and shield, I'll have proper weapons instead of a useless knife.

It's a decision not to be taken lightly. Truth be told, I was leaning towards going full Mage. The cost of these weapons doesn't concern me in the least. I can always sell them back, albeit for less than what I bought them for. Or keep them in my Inventory for a surprise attack.

But the only thing stopping me is simply a lack of information.

Specifically, about this whole 'Gamer' thing.

If it can just give me this Skill because of this milestone of joining a Familia, then what else will it give me? Is it limited to the Falna or can it go beyond? Can I get more 'Traits' or am I limited to what the Falna bestows upon me?

I have no idea. And because of that, I haven't taken the plunge to become a Mage or a Magic Knight.

In the end, the only thing I can do is wait and see what happens. All that matters is that I reach the bottom of the Dungeon. Everything else?

Semantics.

Putting the staff away for now, I let my mind wander onto facts I already know:

My Stats on my Gamer thing gave me **Geōmanteia**, along with my constant use of **Earth Spike**. It's not out of the realm of possibility that me increasing my Gamer Stats or doing more of the same will give me more stuff. Whether they're Skills or not, I don't know.

The Falna and Gamer can interact with each other. Hestia didn't seem to notice, thank God, but if Gods can tell when I'm lying, she'll know something is up.

In terms of Gamer Stats and Falna Stats overlapping though, I come up blank. My **Stats of STR, AGI, END **and **WIS** seem to more or less to overlap with the Falna Stats except for Dexterity. Strength, Agility, Endurance and Magic are easy enough to know.

Do my Gamer Stats act as a sort of buffer to the Falna? Do they add on or do they just do their own thing?

That line of questioning will have to wait though, I think to myself as I hear a pair of feet frantically run on weathered stone. With only a moment to chose, I click on a pair of certain objects in my Inventory and said objects appear by my side, leaning against the rotting wooden pew as I watch the only other member of my Familia bolt through the door, his young face flaming red and the tip of his ears burning.

Finally.

"Morning kid," I spoke up and I watch as he quite literally jumps at the sound of my voice, snapping around to meet me.

"J-John!" He squeaks out, his voice trembling like he was a blushing maid, which I suppose he was in a way, "G-Good morning! H-How long have you been up?"

"Not that long," I say with a shrug because I honestly don't know the answer, "But you seem a bit on edge, kid. Woke up with something you weren't expecting?"

As if it was possible, his face flares up even more, his ears completely red and my grin widened, a short laugh escaping my lips unbidden.

"I-It's not funny! I-I didn't do anything, she just woke up on top of me!"

"Careful with your words now, kid," I say lightly, standing up as I heft up my mace upon my shoulders, causing him to blink owlishly at my new armaments, "Or someone really will get the wrong idea and then where would we be?"

Making fun of Bell some more, but who knows will twist his words into something else?

Bell gives me a mild glare that amounts to a kitten giving me the stinkeye before his ruby-red land upon my shield and mace, eyes widening for some reason, his blush fading fast.

"Did you buy these?" Bell asks me, looking up to me and I give him a nod, "Is this why it took you so long to come back?"

"They're part of the reason, yeah," I tell Bell as I slip my kite shield on, lifting it up and down a couple of times, getting used to the weight, "I went to Babel last night and bought myself the best gear I could afford with my Valis, along with that ham. On the flip side, I have these now. On the downside, I'm dirt poor."

"Babel?" Bell says with no small amount of wonder, his rubellite eyes sparkling, "So...how much did they cost?"

"These two and the ham cost about 20,000 Valis total," I tell the kid with a shrug and he lets out a strangled noise, "Look, I didn't want you and Hestia to make a big deal out of this. Money is meant to be spent, after all."

"I guess you have a point," Bell says uncertainly, looking at his reflection in my blank grey shield, "But where did you even hide it? You didn't bring them down, did you?"

"I have my ways, kid," I say with a smirk as he frowns slightly, but letting the subject die for the moment, "Now come on, kid. You strong-armed me into joining your Familia so we might as well hit the Dungeon while daylight's burning."

Turning his gaze up to me, Bell gives me a blinding smile, nodding his head with more surety than I expected, "Right! Let's go!"

"Excited, are you?" I ask Bell simply as we walk out of the church, an embarrassed laugh escaping from him as he scratches the back of his head.

"Well, it's just," Bell starts to say, his cheeks flushed slightly as the two of us walk through the cul-de-sac, me looking down at him with a cocked brow, "I didn't expect you to join me and Hestia, I guess? I just wanted to help you, but it wouldn't have been weird for you to say no."

"But now you're here and we're part of the same Familia," Bell carries on, a whole-hearted smile on his face as he looks up to me, "So it's not that strange to be excited to be fighting with a new Familia member, right?"

"I could still end betraying your trust, you know that, right?" I ask Bell bluntly, but rather than words, he simply shakes his head at me, his albino white hair shaking with the motion as we enter into the main street of Orario, filled with people of all races as they go about their daily business.

"No, I don't think you will. Despite what you say, you're a good person, I know it and so does Hestia. I trust you, John."

"Idiot," I roll my eyes as Bell just smiles up at me, the picture of innocence in human form, "Come on, let's get to the Dungeon already. Let's see what you're made of, kid."

"Right!"

.

* * *

.

The hustle and bustle of a city is something I will never get used to. As a village boy, I grew up in an environment where the people didn't have to nudge at other people just to walk past or slide between them like some sort of thief. Due to my bulk, the latter was impossible for me anyway, but the former was rarely needed anyway.

The streets of, despite being filled with people, Adventurers and normal people alike, are very wide, allowing for tens, maybe even hundreds of people to walk by without needing to hit each other.

I never really noticed how wide the streets were before, but you could fit a parade here and still have some room left. A myriad of smells and noises fills the air like no other; herbs, hot coals, meals of all kinds and the background chatter filling in the gaps. Sometimes it's someone haggling for weapons or potions, sometimes it's a pair of housewives gossiping about stuff, just to pass the day.

"This place can get pretty noisy, huh?" I say to Bell who nods his head, looking around just the same as I do, seemingly taking in the scenery around us. Though I wonder if he knew that I had just never bothered to wait so late to enter in the Dungeon, waiting for him to wake up.

"It was pretty scary when I first came here," Bell admits to me, letting out a hum as he glances up at me, "What about you, John? You said that you came from a village like me, right?"

"Born and raised," I answer with no shame whatsoever, "But I've been in cities before, so it wasn't a major shock. Living in it though? That's another story altogether. I prefer the peace and quiet of a boring old village, thank you very much."

"So…" Bell trails off somewhat uncomfortably and I glance down at the kid as he twiddles his gloved fingers in awkwardness, "Just why did you become an Adventurer, John?"

I suppose I had to expect this question sooner or later. The fact that I just said that I prefer peace and quiet when being an Adventurer is anything but probably raises some flags.

"What about you, kid? Why did you become an Adventurer?" I ask Bell instead and just like that, his face flares up once again, "You said that your Grandfather used to tell you stories, right?"

It was an obvious deflection, but the kid either didn't notice or choose not to notice as he let an awkward laugh, scratching the back of his head again, "Uhm...it's a bit embarrassing…"

I let out a snort, but I don't dig any deeper into it. Would be a bit hypocritical of me, after all.

"So kid, I got a question for you; How have you been handling the money so far?"

"Eh?" He says as the shadow of Babel starts to loom over us, its eclipsing structure standing tall and mighty.

"Like how have you been splitting the Valis you've been getting? 50 to you, 50 to Hestia?" I ask Bell, quite curious on the nitty-gritty of how Familia economics work around here.

"Uhm, 50%?" Bell asks me and I give him a nod, which he frowns thoughtfully at, muttering under his breath numbers that range from 1,200 to 2,000 Valis and he looks back up at me.

"I guess it's a bit more than that? I usually use the Valis to repair my weapons and armour, pay off my loans to the Guild, stuff like that. Anything leftover, I give to Goddess for safe-keeping."

I let out a hum at his answer, thinking over the numbers in my head.

He has a loan to the Guild, but it doesn't seem that urgent if he just mentions it like that. Still though, that's going to be paid off today, no matter what. I'll put it at...5,000 Valis for now.

I usually earn 3,000 to 4,000 Valis a day, but I never actually 'farmed' for Monster Stones to get a big paycheck. I was concentrated solely on reaching the bottom of the Dungeon, not being paid.

If Bell earns 1,500 Valis on average, before food and other essentials, he would need to work for about 3 days in the Dungeon to pay off his loans as well. Take into account weapon and armour maintenance, food, drink, taxes and everything else…

Bell must keep about 700 to 1000 Valis on him, at minimum for himself. Maybe a bit less, maybe a bit more but at this rate, it'll take him and Hestia months to live comfortably. Maybe even years.

"Bell, how much more do you have to pay back to the Guild? For your loans?" I ask the kid and he blinks up at me with those wide eyes of his, he tilts his head to the side, a confused look on his face.

"Uhhh, about 3,000 Valis? I think?"

Good. That's better than what I thought it was. I already have an idea on how to split the Valis between the three of us, but to make sure he actually pays off the loan and keep the money he makes…

"14,000," I speak up out of nowhere, making Bell tilt his head at me and I nod to myself, "14,000 Valis. That's how much you and I are going to make today."

"...Eh?" Bell lets out a confused noise as if he didn't hear me say anything and before I knew it, he started to splutter out, regardless of the fact that we're in public.

"W-Wait, 14,000?!"

"It's the only way for us to make a positive income," I tell him as my frown deepens, lost in my thoughts as my body goes on autopilot, "The 4,000 will be used to pay your loans, so that leaves 10,000 between you and me. But because we're part of the same Familia and we have to pay taxes to the Guild, we have to give a cut to Hestia, a large cut to be used both in taxes and to save up a rainy day fund."

Bell stays silent during my little lecture on basic economics, a weird glint in his ruby-red eyes, but my focus was on the future, even as a flash of lime-green caught my eye.

"So, that leaves us with one option; We split the total into half, one half going to Hestia and the Familia as a whole while you and I take the other half and split it again in half, effectively giving you and I 25% of what we earn totally."

"Uhmm, John?"

"That means if we earn 10,000 Valis, both of us make 2,500 Valis each while we give 5,000 to Hestia. She pays off the taxes with the Guild and stores up the rest, but we could probably take a bit if we need it for an emergency like a new weapon or armour. Potions are probably a good idea as well, but that can wait until we reach a higher income."

"John," Something in Bell's voice makes me stop for a moment and I look down at my companion as he gives me a worried, almost ashamed look, "Y-You don't have to worry about my loans. I've almost paid them off and it's my own fault for not having enough money in the first plac-"

"They're your responsibility, yes," I tell Bell, a look of confusion coming over his worried expression as I talk, "But loans are something you don't want to stick around, kid. Even if we don't make 14,000 today, we'll make enough to pay them off."

Even if I have to use my 25% to do it.

Bell gives me a funny look as we walk down the filled roads of the Labyrinth City, a look that I couldn't decipher until I realised what I was exactly doing.

"Er, assuming you're alright with all that," I say to Bell, somewhat embarrassedly as he blinks up at me and I see the small confusion in his wide eyes, "The whole tirade I just went on. If you want to handle the money differently, let me know."

"O-Oh! No, I'm fine with what you said," Bell shakes his head, but my frown turns from thoughtful to worried though he smiles widely at me, "I'm just surprised that you thought up all of that just now. Though 14,000 is a bit…"

"Have some faith, kid. We'll make it," I say confidently, the mace on my shoulder and the shield in my hands a comforting weight, "And don't be so surprised, it's just some simple number crunching. With the three of us, it's easy to figure out now but if more people join, we'll need to either need to earn more or work out a different system."

Bell gives me a look that borders dangerously on wonderment for some reason, but I simply ignore it for now, "With that being said, are you sure you're fine with this? Considering that I'm the newbie to the Familia, it would only make sense that the older member gets a higher cut."

There is a certain irony in calling Bell an 'older' member, but it's true. I know that I can't switch Familia's for about a year, but when you're a new member of an organisation, you have to work your way up. It's just how things are and as the newest member of Hestia's Familia, it wouldn't shock me if the split between me Bell becomes 60-40 rather than 50-50. It means I would get less Valis, but besides maybe some armour and potions, I can't think of anything worth spending money on.

Well, a stronger staff would be nice but that's a pipe dream for now.

"But then you wouldn't get as much," Bell says to me honestly, as if it was an argument, a frown on his delicate face as he shakes his head, "I don't know how other Familia's handle it, but I think Goddess would be fine with what you said."

"Well...if you're sure, kid. I'll make sure to tell Hestia just in case, but if you're sure," I say with a firm nod which he smiles at though I don't know why. Probably excited that he'll finally pay off his loans, which I honestly can't blame him for.

He's been lucky. The Guild doesn't seem like the type to stain their reputation by acting as loan sharks, but that doesn't mean they couldn't be brutal or conniving with their money.

It wouldn't be smart though. When you have a place where Adventurers can just disappear to where only fellow Adventurers delve and are the sole providers of Magic Stones, driving them away with predatory business practices is probably the last thing you want to do.

Still though, loans are loans. Paying them off is always a top priority.

"...John?"

The voice of a young woman makes me freeze in my tracks and Bell turns around sharply when my name is spoken aloud by the stranger that had snuck up on us. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Bell's confused look blush slightly and I simply let out a small sigh under my breath before turning around.

Syr looks up at me, a bit taller than Bell and older as well, wearing her light green maid outfit, its edges frilly. The look in her argent eyes is a bit of a weird thing to figure out. Shock, hurt and maybe something akin to gladness flashes through them and for some reason, I find myself looking past them, focusing on her frilly headdress.

"Eh?" Bell says stupidly, looking rapidly between the silver-haired waitress and me, "John? Do you know her?"

"I have no idea who this girl i-"

"John!"

Almost as if to shut me up, I'm subject to Syr's tackle and all I can think is that the Dungeon is probably the lesser of two evils right now.

.

* * *

**Yo. I'm still alive. **

**I could run a cock and bull story about a massive upheaval in my personal life which stopped me from writing or something silly like that, but I'm not going to, because that would be bullshit. Nothing of the sort happened. **

**The fact of the matter is that I simply lost the motivation to write for a while. I found other things to take up my time that I found more enjoyable and I simply never felt that itch to write so I didn't. **

**It's probably not what you guys want to hear, but I'm not gonna lie about shit. That would be dumb. **

**Considering the time period between updates and the fact that the first half of this chapter was written way back in 2019, you might or might not notice a change in style. It might be better, might be worse but as always, you guys are free to tell me what's good and what's bad. **

**Now, considering everything and the wait, I feel like I have to address this, even if it isn't the relevant fic. **

**Apparently someone copied Overlord's Dragon? To be honest, when I found out, I must've spent like a good ten minutes dumb-struck before laughing my ass off. **

**I never found the fic though or the person who made it, so I can't say anything about its quality but I will say this:**

**I don't really care if someone did copy one of my fics and passed it off as their own. I mean, it's fanfiction, you know? I'm not gonna make a big deal about fanfiction of all things. **

**If he wants to carry on, more power to him. Free world and all that. **

**Moving on from that, I feel like I have to say this. Some of you may or may not know, I usually post some of my fics on Spacebattles as well, such as Overlord's Dragon and my DxD fic which may or may not be dead honestly. **

**I am no longer going to do that. The reason being that, ironically, I feel like it's too restrictive for me to really write what I want. Some events happened there over the past year or so that soured my view on the website and I feel as if my freedom as a fanfiction writer is only allowed when I write something that they deem acceptable. Don't know how other people feel about it, but that's how I feel about it. **

**I used to think that of FF, but we live in a fucky timeline. **

**I hate these long Author Notes, but there's a lot to cover so screw it.**

**In terms of my fics, I will confirm that this one and Overlord's Dragon remain alive and strong. DxD is wobbling on the edge because I don't have any motivation to write it, but that could change. Flames of Dracul is also in the same boat, but leaning towards dead, of all things. **

**Before I died for a year, I was thinking of setting up some sort of rotation, but I decided against it. What I write will basically be what I want to write instead of trying to juggle them. Not the most efficient method, but maybe I should've thought of that before making multiple fics. **

**Considering how long this Author Note, I haven't talked about this chapter yet. So let's do that, though honestly, there isn't a lot to tell. It's mostly a chapter to build up and is not worth the year-long wait by any means of imagination, that's for damn sure. I wanted to stop this chapter at a certain point, but it was over 10k words already and I thought it was high time you guys actually heard from me. **

**Of course, I could've made a chapter that basically said I'm alive, but that's shit and you guys want to read stuff, not these long-ass Author Notes. **

**Speaking of which, I think that covers everything. I'll see you guys next time and no, it won't be in a year. **


	4. Chapter 4

**Is It Wrong To Crawl My Way Back Home, One Dungeon Floor At A Time?**

**.**

* * *

No sooner had Syr all but thrown herself at me did I realise how devious this little girl really was.

She probably knew I would deny knowing her. I wonder if this is revenge for all those times I refused something to eat?

Or it could be the whole water fiasco? Actually, it probably was.

"Syr, Get off me. You're making a scene," I grumble out, uncaring about the stares that I got from this girl acting all emotional. Keyword being acting, of course.

I would push her off, but I don't think I could without braining her with my mace or shield. As annoying as Syr can get, I don't want to hurt the poor girl.

Bell's head swishes between the two of us, a look of complete confusion on his face and the scowl on my face burns as I glance down at him. Other people are starting to look now, but I don't take any notice of them.

"John, how could you be so heartless?!" Syr suddenly shouts out as I contemplate using my shield to pry her off of me and I meet her puffed up glare with a blank, bored look of my own.

"You just left without warning! No one knew where you went! Ryu was really upset, you know!"

"I'm more surprised you could tell she was feeling anything at all, honestly. And the whole point of me leaving was so no one knew where I went," I tell Syr, but the pout on her face only grows in strength and I think she's forcing tears to appear now. Taking a better look at her, I see that she has a basket on her arm, bread and cheese sticking out from the top.

Letting out a sigh, I look over to the very confused Bell and nod towards the waitress, "Bell, this is Syr Flova. She's a waitress at the pub I used to sleep in."

"So cold, John! Without me, you would've been sleeping in the streets!"

"At least it would've been quieter."

My lips twitch up as Syr glares cutely up at me before she swiftly turns to Bell and like a switch, she's all smiles and sunshine, making Bell blink owlishly at her before a slight blush creeps on his face.

Oh. Oh dear.

"My condolences for dealing with John here," Syr says smoothly while I just snort out a huff of air, "He can be quite rude, most of the time."

Most of the time?

"I-It's fine," Bell says with a stammer and a blush while I stare at the two of them with a cocked brow, "And John isn't that rude. A-At least to me and our Goddess."

"...Our Goddess?" Syr says with a strange tone in her voice and her argent eyes peer up at me with a keen interest that I found disquieting if anything.

Just as I was about to clear my throat, another sound is heard from the depths of something dark and deep. It almost makes the earth rumble with the noise that was unleashed.

Syr lets out a small giggle and I just look down at the furiously blushing Bell, his hands clasped around his stomach as if that would stop the noise that came within.

"S-Sorry! I didn't eat any breakfast this morning! I-I was kinda in a hurry and I just didn't have the time for it!"

"Idiot," I say without any real heat in my voice, shaking my head at a shameful looking Bell, "Did you plan to go into the Dungeon with an empty stomach or something?"

I ignore the surprisingly pointed, poignant stare of Syr and I frowned down at Bell, though the look of embarrassment on his face told me he knew how badly he screwed up.

The Dungeon isn't a joke and I'm sure Bell knows that. The thing with Hestia must've scared him more than I thought.

Idiot. He should've told me. If he did, I would've taken the rest of the ham with us so he can eat that instead.

Well, at least Hestia will have a nice breakfast when she wakes up. I'll have to see what budget we're going to be working with for food though. We have running water and a wood stove, but that's hardly a kitchen. I could probably make basic meals though.

"Dungeon? Then you're an Adventurer, Mr Bell?" Syr asks innocently and Bell gives her a flustered nod, his cheeks blazing at his name being spoken.

I don't say anything, but...Mr? Really?

"I am, b-but you don't have to call me Mr. Just B-Bell is fine, really," Bell stammers out, making Syr smile brightly at the kid.

"Then you can call me Syr! Nice to meet you, Bell!"

"Smooth," I say under my breath so Bell wouldn't hear me but the quick glance that Syr gave me, her silver eyes almost glinting makes me smirk, at least.

"N-Nice to meet you, Syr."

So, Bell is weak to a pretty face.

Syr isn't gonna have any mercy on the poor kid.

"If you don't mind me asking, how do you know John, Bell?" Syr asks innocently enough and just like that, Bell's eyes light up and a goofy smile graces his blushing face. I look down at Syr with a dubious look and she simply gives me an innocent-looking smile.

"We're part of the same Familia! John joined just last night and we're going to the Dungeon together," Bell says it so proudly and so happily, I can only sigh as I rub the bridge of my nose, watching as Bell sealed our fates.

"Hmmm...and you didn't eat any breakfast, right?" Syr asks Bell who shakes his head, embarrassedly.

"In that case, here. Take these," Syr says with a bright smile, holding out her basket to Bell who blinked owlishly at the offered honey trap before his blush burned bright again.

"Eh? I-I can't do that!"

"So...you don't want it?" Syr says, lightly biting her bottom lip and Bell's red face turns crimson as he snaps his head to look at me with a pleading look. I could practically see the begging in his wide round red eyes.

I shrug my shoulders at him, but I couldn't resist the twitch of my lips as Bell stammers to Syr and me.

"Please, Bell. I wouldn't want you to go hungry in the Dungeon. It would make me sad," Syr says with a soft worried voice and I could see the fight in Bell's eyes die at those words. Meekly, he accepted the basket and I let out a snort, grinning.

It's coming soon now and Bell isn't going to be able to say no. Poor kid, this is exactly the type of thing I tried to warn him about.

Oh well. Being 'scammed' by paying for a meal is hardly a sordid affair and what he does with his money is his own choice.

"T-Thank you, Syr," Bell says with a bow of his head, holding the basket in his hands. A quick glance told me that there is enough for two people if it was rationed. Bread, cheese and fruits, mostly. Not bad.

"You know, Bell, if you would like to make it up to me…" Syr says with a smooth voice, a smile that combines devious and cheeriness in equal measure, "Would you and John like to eat dinner at my workplace tonight? The Hostess of Fertility?"

Took her longer with Bell than it did with me. Maybe she's just waiting for me to speak up or something.

Bell's expression of shame, giddiness and hunger all merge into a brief look of shock and as he glances down at the basket in hand, he lets out a sigh of resignation, smiling slightly.

"You...don't really play fair, do you?"

Syr just giggles cutely and the two of them look at me for my answer, Syr's smile turning eager while Bell just seems more or less resigned to what just happened. He doesn't seem that upset by it though, which doesn't shock me.

"I'll think about it," I say simply to Syr whose smile simply widens a little at my words, "Now, if you're done guilt-tripping Bell?"

"I'll see you two tonight~ I'll tell Mama Mia to prepare a big meal, John!"

"Why did you single me out?" I ask Syr who just waves us goodbye as Bell does the same, a somewhat happy yet ashamed look on his face. I gave Syr a single wave and before we knew it, she disappeared into the crowd of people.

Bell and I walk silently side by side, the Tower of Babel looming over us with each step taken. Like a constant river, people of all races, types and builds filter in and out of the towering monument.

I glanced down at Bell who couldn't meet my eye, his gaze fixed solidly on the cobblestone pavement and his cheeks flushed.

I let out an amused snort, a cheeky grin on my face as I shook my head, "She had you wrapped around her little finger."

Bell mumbled something out that made me crack a grin before looking up at me, "You two seemed close. Are you friends?"

"I wouldn't go that far. She helped me out when I was homeless and I stayed at her workplace, renting out a room but that's about it. Beyond that, we're just acquaintances, nothing more."

Bell gives me a little frown and he glances down at the basket of food on his hand, his eyes eating the foods held within.

"Make sure to eat before we go in," I remind Bell gently, "And don't feel too bad about what Syr did. From what I heard, the food in the Hostess is delicious and there are more cute girls working there. I'm sure you'll have a good time."

"John, please," Bell's voice almost shakes from embarrassment as he picks up a slice of cheese, nibbling on it meekly as his cheeks flare up, "I-I couldn't just say no to her!"

"You so could, but as I've discovered, you're weak against a cute face," I say without a hint of irony or malice, but Bell just looks like a kicked puppy as I spoke.

Unbidden, a chuckle escapes my lips and I give a slight nudge on Bell's shoulder with my shield, making him swallow.

"Think of this as a lesson in trusting strangers, Bell; More of than not, they'll always have ulterior motives."

Bell gives me a strange look, but doesn't say anything. Reaching into the basket, he wordlessly holds out an apple to me, an innocent smile on his face.

"You have it, I've already eaten my breakfast," I lie to Bell smoothly and he frowns at me, "Overeating can just be as bad as undereating, you know? Plus, we're gonna wanna ration what we have for the Dungeon."

"...Alright, if you say so," Bell says uncertainly, but he puts the apple back and takes some bread instead, eagerly biting into that.

And so it was, with Bell stuffing his face because he missed breakfast, that I went back into the Dungeon, not by myself but with a small, albino child who is the senior of my Familia.

Funny how life works out sometimes.

.

* * *

.

A skull of a Goblin is cracked wide open as my mace, caked and dripping with blood, drops down upon it and the light in its bulging red eyes fade as it falls back, dead.

Something with fur flashes in the corner of my eye and I bring up my shield. Not a moment sooner, I let out a grunt as a Kobold smacks itself against my kite shield, its claws making an awful screeching sound, but I don't budge. With a swing of my shield, a fleshy impact could be felt and it lets out a pathetic yelp.

A flash of sharp steel glints for a brief instance and its neck bursts in a river of sticky crimson. With that taken care of, a word escapes my lips as I last out again with my mace, droplets of scarlet blood splaying out as a Kobold's head snaps sharply in a way it wasn't supposed to, a terrible cracking noise echoing out. It slumps on the floor, dead with its body facing forward and its head snapped back.

Four sharp rocks rip themselves from the Dungeon wall and they shoot towards two Goblins and a Kobold trying to gang up on Bell, just out of my reach. The kid dodges the swipes of the Goblins and he crosses his arms as the sharp claws of the fur fiend swipe out, a grimace on his face. Two Earth Spikes pin the Goblins to the walls in a bloody splatter. The Kobold manages to dodge the third, but the fourth and final Earth Spike catches him in the leg.

It lets out a howl of agony, silenced as Bell's knife slashes it open and kills it instantly.

Despite the carnage and our current situation, my breath is steady and calm. My limbs, full of energy and strength. My mace is hefty but not heavy and my shield has barely a scratch on it. A quick glance at my HUD would've made me smirk if any other situation.

**HP: 60**

**MP: 115**

I honestly would have whooped with joy if I was alone, but alas, that's not the case. Maybe in private, later.

For now, we have to deal with this mess.

In the lower levels of the Upper Floors, the halls are wide enough to let a party of 10 people at least, shoulder to shoulder. You could have a whole caravan carted through if you wanted. It made for somewhat wild fighting, however, as you could easily get surrounded.

Like me and Bell, right now.

It was going well at first if a little slow. He and I noticed it pretty much straight away, but we fought more monsters together than we did alone. Where we might've fought one or two become four or five. It wasn't that big of a deal, especially with my spells, but it was a noticeable increase.

I thought it was a stroke of good luck. More monsters equal more Magic Stones which equals more Valis. If we could hit our 14,000 mark today early, we might have some left over Valis.

You can never have too much money, after all.

I suppose we got a bit cocky.

Almost like a string of bad luck and as if to punish me for my greedy thoughts, we found ourselves surrounded by eighteen monsters, a mix of Goblins and Kobolds. Well, twelve now but even so, twelve is more than twice what I ever had to fight alone.

It started small. A couple of them would pop out the walls behind us while others charged at us in front. As we pushed further down, more and more came until we found ourselves the centre of attention for these slavering beasts.

God, I hate how smart this place can be sometimes.

I move to Bell and he goes near me, his bloody dagger held in a reverse grip. His long coat has some scratches in it and his laboured breathing could be heard over the snarls and growls of the monsters that prowl around us like a juicy bit of meat.

"We need a plan. Otherwise, they'll swarm us at this rate. Any ideas, kid?" I say to Bell as I keep my shield up, our backs practically touching as the monsters circle us, their maws dripping with spittle and their claws sharp and ready.

Bell goes silent at my question and I wonder if he was relying on me for an idea. I had one, but it wasn't pretty. It could work, but that means leaving Bell alone and that isn't something I'm going to risk just yet.

"We should run away?" Bell tells me, but it comes out like a question. Regardless, I take a second to think it over, my eyes scanning over the monsters as they inch closer to us.

If we run deeper into the Dungeon, we're fucked, simple as. We'll just run into more trouble that we don't need now.

But running back to where we come from...That could work. At the very least, it'll put us in a better position than now.

"We came from over there," Bell jerks his head down a hallway that looks the same as the rest of the floor, "But…"

Bell trails off and I can see why. As if sensing it, more and more monsters start to close in and cluster against where we came from, preventing us from barging through.

Not bad. But not good enough.

"Bell, on my signal. Run."

I feel rather than see Bell's nod and with that, a moment of silence hung over the blood ridden atmosphere. The stench of it is overwhelming, that coppery scent that wafts up in droves as the bodies of monsters lay dead and broken around us. The prowling monsters circle around us, the heavy seconds passing with each droplet of blood that falls from my mace.

Another second passes. They get closer, slowly. Despite everything, Bell remained silent by my side, though I could feel his wide eyes dart to me as I stare at the enclosing beasts.

Just a bit more. Just a bit more…

Another second passes and the circle gets even tighter. The group of monsters that are blocking our path are touching shoulder to shoulder now, a wall of coarse fur, dripping maws and sharp.

Pointing my mace towards the full of monsters, their haunches going tense as they prepare to charge, I say a single word:

"**Fireball."**

My **MP** drops from 117 to 57 and an orb of scorching fire shoots out of the tip of my bloody mace. It flies through the air, smelling of brimstone and smoke before it lands on an unlucky Goblin's face. It bursts into a wildfire and makes the other monsters stumble back from the explosive force.

No words passed between me or Bell as we both sprinted through the opening, running through the thick cloud of smoke. Bell jumps over the flaming corpse of the Goblin while I give it a vicious kick, punting it out of my way before running ahead.

I feel something claw against the back of my legs, flailing around for a hit and I notice my HP dip from 60 to 57, but I carry on running.

Good. But not good enough.

Running out of the smoke, both Bell and I are sprinting down from where we came, the beast-man and Goblins nipping at our heels almost. The roars and chittering sounds that came from behind us told me as much.

And as I expected, Bell is soon running ahead of me, leaving me behind in the dust. First thing I noticed about Bell when we're fighting is that the kid is fast. Way faster than me.

I was never going to beat him in a race. That's fine though, I knew as soon as the words 'run away' left his mouth, I was going to be left behind.

"John!" He shouts with worry, looking behind him as he starts to suddenly slow down.

"Don't stop, you idiot! Keep running!" I yell back, my feet thumping hard against the cold stone floor and Bell's face twists into a grimace. Whatever he was going to do, I don't know because I pointed my mace in front of him.

He turns his head back forward, noticing the two passageways that split off to the left and right side, just like the ones we came down.

Bell looks back at me, his red eyes wide but I merely jerk my head forward and with seeming reluctance, he forces himself forward and goes round to the left, a small tuft of white hair that peeks out of the corner tells me all I want to know.

I look back behind me and I count 10 monsters chasing after me, 4 Kobolds and 6 Goblins. The Kobolds are catching up to me faster, running on all fours like a pack of rabid mutts. If I carry on like this, they'll catch up to me sooner rather than later.

Well. Time for a Plan B.

When I reached the end of the hallway, I skidded to a stop and turned around. I see Bell staring at me as I stand in clear view of the chasing, slavering monsters.

I glanced at him and minutely shook my head. Without a word, I turn my gaze to the monsters and speak:

"**Earth Spike." **

My **MP** drops from 59 to 54 and four of the Goblins fall victim to a stoney impalement, falling to the ground in a bloody heap. The other monsters don't even notice their fallen comrades, charging forward.

Unable to resist, I bang my mace on my shield. The loud clanging sound is accompanied by the sight of blood dripping down my shield and mace both now.

I felt the urge to say something bubbled up within me, but I pushed it down at the last minute. I braced my shield in front of me, waiting. My hand tightened around the handle of my mace and Bell grimaced as he waited, readying himself.

The first to hit me was a Kobold with singed fur.

It tries to clamber over my shield, trying to claw open my face with talons and teeth for a brief moment, I feel my feet give way.

But with gritted teeth, I lift my shield up and send the Kobold up high behind me, throwing it into the wall. I hear a sicking crunch behind me, but I ignore it. In motion, I lash out with my mace, catching another Kobold in the shoulder.

I can feel something crack under the blow and it reels back in pain, letting out a howl which is cut short as Bell springs forward, stabbing it in the throat. Without skipping a beat, Bell swings his foot high and hits the other Kobold in the cheek, twisting it in a way that spelt death.

The last Kobold, finally noticing Bell, tries to cut him down widely, but it was too little too late. The rather obvious ambush was a success and Bell weaves in close, shoving his bloody under the chin of the monster, killing it instantly.

The Goblins both jump at Bell, their claws ready and poised to rip him apart.

I take a single step and swing my mace down on one of them, splitting open its skull like a ripe fruit. Bell twirls his knife around in a split second and stabs the second Goblin in the throat, dousing him in blood.

Both Goblins fall dead and now, it's just me and Bell, drenched in blood and surrounded by the bodies of monsters.

A moment of silence passes, only punctured by the laboured breathing of Bell. I looked over the corpses of the monsters one last time before looking towards Bell.

"Well, that was fun," I say rather calmly and Bell, despite himself, lets out a little laugh at my words.

As I give him a smile, he lets out a slight wince and absentmindedly, his free hand goes to his side, clutching it.

"Are you hurt?" I ask as my smile dips into a frown and though Bell feebly shakes his head, his hand doesn't move from clutching at his side.

"I think one of the Goblins got me when we ran, but it's nothing to worry about," Bell says to me rather weakly and I simply shake my head. Putting my mace down for a bit, I walk over to the sheepish looking Bell and motion him to remove his hand.

"Top tip, Bell," I say to him as I kneel down and look at him at eye level for once, though he averts his gaze from me and he slowly removes his hand, tinged with blood. I noticed that the claws seemed to have ripped through his leather coat but it didn't seem too deep.

"When you have a healer on hand and you're hurt, you don't keep your mouth shut."

"**Soothing Waters." **

The look on Bell's face was one I wore myself many times when I had to drench myself in this spell. It was a cringing grimace of gritted teeth and dread-filled realisation. I felt sympathy for the lad, truly, I did.

It was still funny to look at though.

Letting out a shuddering sigh, Bell's cringe turns into an endearing look of childish wonder as he gently pats down the now smooth cut, the blood slowly disappearing into the magical water. In a matter of moments, it was dry.

"Wow…" Bell says to me, looking down at his wound before looking back up at me, eyes full of wonder which made me...kinda uncomfortable, for some reason.

"Don't act so impressed. Compared to most mages, this is probably just grunt level stuff," I say to the wide-eyed kid with an uncaring shrug, but he simply shook his head.

"No, it really is impressive! Having a spell like that is amazing!"

I found myself resisting the urge to say something again, my lips twitching down into a frown. Instead, I gave Bell a shrug, "Well, let's hope this is all the healing I have to do. If either of us ends up with a missing limb or a hole in our guts, I doubt any type of water is going to make that better."

That, and it's expensive MP wise to actually use. Considering I had only three spells to use though, it's not like I have a lot of options available to me.

"Ehehehe...You can say some scary jokes sometimes, John."

"Who said I was joking?" I didn't have to force the small cocked smirk, but Bell just meekly laughed some more as I stood up, "Come on, kid. Time for the fun part of this job."

It's strange, but I wasn't really joking either.

This kinda was a job when you get down to it. Ignore all the fantasy stuff, all the Elves, all the animal people and all the magic that I was flinging around, but when you really get down to it, me and Bell were co-workers doing a job for a paycheck.

Of course, there is a world of difference between Bell and other co-workers I've worked with in the past, mostly due to the nature of dungeon crawling itself, but the key difference is that I actually like Bell as a person instead of someone I just tolerate.

It was almost comical how quickly the atmosphere turned. Just a couple of minutes ago, we were fighting for our lives, surrounded by slathering blood-thirsty monsters.

And now, I watched in morbid fascination as this small kid, no older than 14, plunged his bloody knife straight into the chest of a dead Kobold, blood spurting out as he extracts the magic stone in its chest. The body itself soon turned into black ash which faded out of existence entirely and Bell caught me looking, tilting his blood-splashed face at me.

"Is something wrong?"

Yes.

"Nothing," I shake my head at Bell, getting to work on my own corpses, the sound of ripping and tearing of wet flesh soon filling the air.

"So what does Hestia do while we're in here?" I speak up while a Goblin's body turns into ash in front of me, "Does she go out and look for new members or something?"

"Not...exactly?" Bell's voice speaks up behind me, sounding a bit uncertain, "She works at a Jagamarukun stall during the day. She's usually home when I get back though."

I blinked once as I stopped cutting open a Dungeon Lizard we killed before we got mobbed, turning to look at a sheepish Bell, "She...mans a stall? Selling finger food?"

Bell gives me an almost shameful nod, but I shook my head at him, "Don't get me wrong, I'm not judging here. But she's a Goddess. Why not just...I don't know, demand money from her worshippers or something?"

"Uhhm...She doesn't really have any?" Bell tells me awkwardly, "That's what Familia's are for. I've never heard of a God getting money from people who worship them like that."

"But she's still a Goddess," I say dumbly, shaking my head at Bell who shakes his head at me.

"I don't think any of the other Gods have that kind of thing. If Goddess had something like, I...don't think they would like it."

"Point," I say with a nod, getting back to work with a frown as I thought over Bell's words.

It's odd. To me, at least. At the same time, the Gods are both figureheads and yet they're more than that. I could see it in the way Bell treated Hestia, a figure to be respected, but not to really be worshipped.

Then again, knowing how Hestia looks, it would be pretty hard to take her seriously. If I remember correctly, the worship of Hestia consists of sacrificing a pig and offering meals at feasts and dinners. Considering everything, I doubt Hestia would actually condone any of that.

I shook my head and reached in to take the small magic stone from the soon evaporating Dungeon Lizard. I'm just being a busy idiot right now, worrying about stuff that doesn't really matter. It's still weird to see just how different these 'Gods' act compared to how I expected them to be.

Well, one comes to mind but considering how I blew her off, I should just be glad that I'm still intact.

"Hey, John, can I ask you something? I-If you don't want-"

"Shoot," I say without turning around, standing up and cutting open a Goblin impaled and stuck on a wall, feeling more like a butcher every minute, "Whether or not I give an answer depends on the question though."

"W-Well, it's just...Do you enjoy being an Adventurer?"

I stopped just as I pocketed another magic stone, drenched in blood as I frown at a somewhat nervous looking Bell. I opened my mouth to speak, but closed it again, frowning harder. I scratched the back of my head, uncaring of the blood now matting my hair into crimson clumps.

"I never really thought about it, honestly," I admit to Bell who tilts his head at me, a curious expression on his face, "I've had more boring jobs, I'll admit, but at least they don't make me fight for my life. Why do you ask anyway?"

"N-No reason," Bell says unconvincingly, but I don't force the issue. He's probably just trying to make conversation.

"What about you, Bell?" I ask the kid who gives me a cute, thoughtful frown, "You're a young kid in this whole fiasco, but it's not like someone forced you into it."

"I'm not a kid," Bell mutters weakly and my lips twitch into a coy smirk.

"That sounds like something a kid would say."

Bell gives me a glare that would've worked on old ladies who would ruffle his snow-white hair, but didn't say anything, instead peering back at the Goblin corpse slowly turns into black ash in front of him.

"I think...it's the only way for me to be where I want to be," Bell says to me rather slowly and mysteriously. Despite myself, I find myself nodding slightly at his answer.

I understood, even if he didn't know exactly why. If I had a choice, I don't think I would've picked being an Adventurer at all. But I never had a choice in the first place so that's not worth really thinking about.

"I get what you mean, but that you know that doesn't really tell me if you enjoyed it or not," I say to Bell who blinks at me before his cheeks slightly colour with a different shade of red.

"W-Well, you didn't really tell me either."

"Point made," I chuckle at Bell before jerking my head at the trail of corpses we left behind, "Come on, kid. We got a lot of work ahead of us."

"Right!"

With that, me and Bell carried on, cutting up all the monsters we killed. Even with both of us, it still took more time than I would've liked. It wasn't uncommon for monsters to pop out while we're harvesting our magic stones.

Luckily, I think after that massive group, the Dungeon was probably feeling a bit tired. One thing I've noticed about this damned place, it's not usually a constant spawning of monsters. It's usually either one of two ways monsters spawn:

A sudden flood or a steady stream. Some days, more monsters spawn than the days before, but those are rare. If I had to guess, it's how the Dungeon works. As strange as this place is, it can't ignore the basic rule that something can't exist from nothing. Making these monsters and by proxy, these magic stones have to take some kind of energy, whatever that might be.

And when that energy is expanded, it either saves what little it has for more Adventurers or for the lower Floors.

At least that's my theory on it. This place is smart in the way a vicious animal is smart. Whether it's actually sapient or not is still something I'm trying to figure out.

It's for this reason that I felt somewhat safe harvesting our magic stones here, where most of the monsters spawned. I don't exactly know how long until the Dungeon is finished 'recharging' but I'm sure we'll be fine for now.

And after what must've been a good 5 minutes of non-stop carving, we looked over our haul.

And what a haul it was.

"Wow...I don't think I've seen so many items drop before."

"Same here, kid," I say mildly as Bell looked down in wonder at the small pile of claws, fangs and a single tattered hide of a Dungeon Lizard laid out beneath them, the pearly white scales shining in the dim light.

"Good work, kid. You're probably the best good luck charm I've ever had."

Bell's cheeks flushed with a tinge of dark red as I gave him a pat on the back. He scratched his cheek, a silly little grin on his face, full of embarrassment, "W-Well, I only hid away and ambushed them at the end."

"That was the smart thing to do," I tell him bluntly, "I was too slow to catch up, so I acted as bait. Takes two to tango and all that."

"Tan...go?" Bell asks me with eyes full of innocence, but I shake my head.

"I'll tell you when you're older," I repeat a phrase that every kid heard at least once and he frowns up at me while I look down at our loot, counting and adding up our magic stones and items prior to the big fight we just had.

"Considering the magic stones and the few drops from before," I let out a low hum in my throat, scratching my chin in thought, "This is probably enough to hit our 14,000 goal, maybe more to boot."

"Really?!" Bell asks, hope and excitement plainly evident in his twinkling ruby eyes.

"Possibly," I try not to grin as Bell's expression of hope turns into a dejected sigh, "Come on, don't be like that. If we want to make sure, we just have to find more monsters."

Bell gave me a determined nod, packing up our drops into his backpack before hefting it up and putting it back on. He stood back up with a small grunt and as we walked through the Fourth Floor, I could feel him taking glances at me.

"Hey, John. Where do you put your magic stones? I don't see a pouch or anything on you," Bell asks me and I simply pat the pockets on my hoodie once, smirking down at him.

"Magic," I tell him simply and he frowns at my answer, making me chuckle, "Don't worry, kid. I'm not gonna drop anything."

Still though, I'll make sure to buy a bag or something. I would use my inventory for all of our magic stones and drops, but that's not feasible really. How can I even explain to Bell the concept, let alone prove to him the truth?

In the lull that followed, I looked to my HUD and opened up my inventory, checking over what appeared over me:

**Valis: 0**

**Magic Stones: 67**

**Weight: 5/50**

**HP: 57/60**

**MP: 94/120**

Without a doubt, this new Skill is going to carry me. In just 5 minutes, I went from 44 to 94 to MP. Normally, after 5 minutes, I would at 50 MP rather than 44.

That's 10 MP a minute. Compared to what I was working with before, that's _insanely _good.

Along with the improvements on the **Earth Spike**, I owed Hestia and Bell more than they would ever know. This whole Falna thing was turning out way better than I hoped.

That being said though…

I mumbled out a word under my breath and a screen that only I could see popped up in front of me.

It was my Skill list, the details of my Geomancy Skill still the same as the last time I saw them.

I thought about moving some rocks and-

**[Insufficient MP.]**

There we go. As if to pour buckets of sewage water all over my parade, the blue-white words mocking me popped up out of nowhere.

The prime effect of Geomancy, the reason why Hestia was so excited and somewhat scared by it, didn't work for me.

Well, it didn't work right now. It wasn't a percentage take of my max MP like I thought it was.

It was a flat cost. Of course, it doesn't tell me what the actual flat cost is because why would it? No, that would make things easier for me and we can't have that, no sir.

When I get back home, I'm never touching another video game for as long as I live.

Even so, this doesn't change the fact that I struck gold with this Skill. All I can do is just go along with this whole Falna and Gamer business and see where I end up. Can't be any worst than before, that's for sure.

"We're getting closer to the Fifth Floor now," I glance down at Bell as I started to recognize the twisting hallways, having walked through it countless times before now, "Are you up for it, Bell?"

The question was in part because the Fifth Floor monsters are stronger and more numerous than the Floors we just went through and because this is where Bell and I met.

After he almost died yesterday due to the whole Minotaur business.

I could see it in his ruby-red eyes, the way they darted to the end of the stone hallway as if expecting the bull-man to suddenly appear from nowhere, to charge us down.

Of course, nothing came. It was as empty and still as ever. Whether he knew it or not, Bell's stride came to a cold stop for a moment and I could hear him take a deep, sharp intake of air.

I would've stopped as well, but just as quick as it came, Bell walked to my side and gave me a firm yet slow nod, his big eyes peeled back as we carried on walking towards the Fifth Floor.

I felt my lips twitched up before I forced them into a stern look, though that didn't diminish the warm feeling I felt.

This was greedy. There's no point beating around the bush, this was pure and simple greed. We had everything we needed to for a big paycheck, way more than 14,000.

But why should we stop there? Why should Bell and I not go for more?

I didn't know what it was that Bell wanted or why he had to be an Adventurer to get it. It wasn't money, that's for sure. He didn't strike me as the type to go after riches.

He didn't seem like the selfish sort and they're always the hardest to read, but if I had to guess, Bell probably wants fame. It's the way he said that being an Adventurer is the only way for him to 'be where he wants to be'.

He wanted to be famous, for whatever reason. And while I didn't understand why someone would want that, it was his choice and I respected it.

And it was heartening to see that, despite the whole kerfuffle yesterday, Bell was still gunning for it.

If you're not hungry for something, you'll never take it for yourself after all.

"Bell, hand me your bag. I'll carry it from now on," I tell the kid as soon as we stumble upon the stairway to the Fifth Floor. It led down in roughly hewn rectangular shapes, the dim light of the Dungeon making it seem like a gaping maw of a beast.

"Are you sure, John? I can carry-"

"It's not like that, kid. That thing's heavy and you have to drop it to fight, right?" I look down at Bell, my brow arched in question as he gives me a shallow nod, "So let me carry it, at least for the Fifth Floor. Comparing how we fight, doesn't it make more sense for me to carry it?"

There was a...I didn't know what to call it, a manipulative element, I guess, as to why I let him carry a heavy bag for so long. Shamefully, it wouldn't be a stretch to call Bell a pack mule right now.

Simply put, I didn't want Bell to get hurt. The kid is so stupidly trusting and fragile, if a monster that could talk and it found Bell, he would believe it was a 'good' monster.

But I can't coddle him nor do I really want to. The kid can fight and against monsters, I've seen how surprisingly brutal he can be.

It boiled down to the Falna and his Basic Abilities in the end and how it functioned.

The more Bell and I fight, the more excellia we earn. When his Falna is updated, the excellia he accumulated will be spread amongst his Basic Abilities. I have no doubt his Agility stat will go up the highest, fast little bugger that he is. But that also leaves a glaring weakness:

If he's avoiding all of the attacks thrown at him, what about his Endurance? There was an argument to be made that avoiding attacks was better than taking them head-on, but that only worked until it doesn't.

Maybe it doesn't work like that and I'm going about this the wrong way. But on the off chance that it does, I'll have Bell carry a heavy bag rather than getting gutted by a Goblin or a Kobold. Sure, it might not be as effective, but it also had a 0% chance of him dying.

Hopefully.

But at this point, I was willing to shoulder carrying the bag for this floor. Such an act was only fitting for a martyr, but alas, I was only a simple man with a big mace caked in the blood of my foes.

In a way, having more monsters for both of us was both a blessing and a curse. Without monsters, we didn't get paid and we didn't get stronger. And yet, the lower we go down, the stronger and more numerous the monsters become.

Honestly, screw this place. It sucks so much.

Holding out my hand, I waited for Bell to unhook the bag from his back and drop it in my hand.

And when he does so, I almost dropped the damn thing, my arm being lurched down by the sudden massive weight in my hand.

"Jesus, you were carrying this?" I huffed out as I struggled to place the strap around my shoulders, eventually putting down my mace and shield down on the floor to do so, "What the hell is it filled with? Cinder blocks?"

"Eheheh…Just the item drops that we got today and a few essentials really," Bell tells me with an apologetic grin, but I noticed he doesn't seem very keen on hiding his relief as he stretched his arms up high, a sigh of sweet relief matching his motion bit for bit.

And then, almost on cue, the familiar blue screen popped up right in front of me:

**[Magic-infused Backpack detected. Weight is now at 200 / 250.]**

Thought so.

While the whole thing about it being magically infused surprised me, the fact that this popped up didn't.

This Gamer thing has so many quirks laying just beneath the surface of it and it's infuriating. What was the point of giving me this garbage if it never tells me anything about how it works?

Settling the hefty backpack on my back, I could feel it ever so slightly weighing down on my spine but either I got used to the weight fairly quickly or the Gamer garbage must've changed something. I didn't really care one way or the other, but I didn't think it would be an issue in a fight now anyway.

"So what's this thing made out of anyway?" I ask Bell, curious as to why it was exactly magic. The Guild didn't offer me anything like this and I'm sure even if they did, it would be expensive as all hell.

"I don't know everything, but I was told it was made with magic. It can hold more items than it should, but that doesn't really solve the weight issue…"

"Tell me about it," I grouse out, rolling my shoulders. With nothing else left to say, I nod down to the pathway deeper into the Dungeon, wetting my dry lips as I spoke:

"Come on, kid. Daylight's burning."

.

* * *

.

This day was a day of firsts for Bell.

It was the first day he's ever been in the Dungeon with someone else and it was the first day he's ever fought with a fellow Familia member.

It might also be the first day he would earn over 10,000 Valis. He tried not to think about that just yet though, not wanting to be let down by his high expectations.

Despite that, his thoughts kept going back to the number. Despite that, he found himself looking forward when both he and John go back to the Guild to hand in their loot for today.

With the thought of his new Familia member in mind, Bell found his gaze looking upon the broad-shouldered back of the spell caster, John having taken the lead ever since they set foot in the Dungeon.

It shocked Bell how natural John was in the Dungeon. Never once did they end up in a dead-end or trapped. Never once did John even have to take a minute to think of where to go, leading both of them deeper and deeper into the Dungeon.

Faintly, Bell realised that John knew these Floors like the back of his hand. He knew where to go to reach the lower Floors and he knew where to go so they could force a fight with the monsters for more Magic Stones.

Bell knew that John went into the Dungeon before they met. That meant he came into the Dungeon without a Falna, a secret only he and Hestia knew.

A mixture of awe and worry filled Bell's mind. He looked at the tall man in front, a silent figure as he and Bell walked to the Fifth Floor. Ignoring the jolt of cold that ran up his spine and thoughts of a raging bull-man, the young Adventurer found himself baffled by his new Familia member.

He could never imagine fighting without a Falna, let alone becoming an Adventurer without one. He wanted to know what drove John on so violently.

But he had to accept he may never know.

Bell considered himself ignorant, but not a fool. John was a person who held his privacy and secrets high, that much was obvious. Asking him would do nothing more than accomplish John dodging the question and he didn't want to push.

It frustrated Bell to no end. He could understand the reasons behind it, but that didn't mean he doesn't want to know more about John.

Such as when he asked if he enjoyed being an Adventurer. Though he couldn't see his face now, Bell found himself imagining a grim frown as he marched onwards.

But when they fought monsters that the Dungeon birthed, Bell would catch a glimpse of John smiling.

It wasn't the deranged wide-eyed smile of a mad man. It was more like the smile of someone having fun playing a game like catch or tag. At first, Bell thought he was seeing things, a trick of the light in the Dungeon.

But when they ran away from that horde of monsters and John acted as bait, he saw it as plain as day.

It didn't disturb Bell as much as he thought it would, but it made him wonder what sort of expression John wore when he came into the Dungeon by himself. It made him wonder if John was one of those types that like fighting and that had a hand in him choosing to be an Adventurer.

And Bell never did get John's answer. But he decided it was fair because he never answered John's question either.

In truth, Bell didn't know what to say other than what he told John. It wasn't a lie, but it didn't really answer the question either. It was Bell's dream to become an Adventurer, but...

"Head's up, kid," The gruff voice of John broke Bell out of his thoughts, the sound of stone cracking and prying open filling the still air, "We got company."

In front of them, the walls of the Dungeon birthed a mixed group of Kobolds and Goblins, slightly larger than the ones on the Fourth Floor above them. Their red eyes and sharp claws glinted with malevolence and hunger in the light of the Dungeon.

And then the same stone shattering sounds could be heard from behind them.

Readying his dagger, Bell calmed down his heavy breathing and ignored the slight tightness in his lungs. He turned to face the second group of monsters behind them, a group just like the first.

"And this is where it gets fun," John says in grim humour, making Bell smile awkwardly at his words, "I'll take care of this. Can you handle the other idiots behind us?"

"Leave it to me!" Bell found himself getting eager and ready to prove himself, all thoughts of the Minotaur pushed out of his mind. He came down here alone once. But he wasn't alone and neither was John.

They're a Familia, after all. While John might not trust Bell with his secrets, he trusted him enough to cover his back. It was a good feeling to be relied upon, Bell thought to himself.

Growing used to seeing the stakes of stone fly off of the Dungeon walls, the noises of crunching bones and sliced flesh began to fill the air. Bell fought as he always did, never stopping in place and always moving. As soon as his blood-caked knife slit the throat of an angry Goblin, it was already flashing towards its next target before the body hit the ground.

John fought the opposite way. If Bell had to describe the way John fought, the words 'stonewall' came to mind.

He didn't bother dodging attacks, at least not all of them as Bell did. He blocked the hits with his shield and counter attacked viciously with his mace, peppering monsters with his spells as appropriate.

It was not out of the question to say they fought in ways that are complete opposites. But they did have one thing in common; they were rarely clean.

The sickening sound of a skull crunching made Bell turn around, just in time to see a Goblin with a crushed head fall to the ground. The gruesome indent in the bulbous head of the Goblin made Bell grimace internally, but he was glad to see that John didn't suffer any injuries, even if he fought with the backpack on.

"You alright, kid?" John turned around, looking down at Bell with dark brown eyes.

Bell shook his head tiredly, "I'm fine, John. What about you? Fighting with the backpack on is a bit dangerous."

"Don't worry about me kid, I'm as fit as a fiddle," John once again strings together curious words that all Bell could respond with was an awkward chuckle.

After making sure that the monsters were dead, Bell and John got to work. It didn't take as long as when they butchered the group on the Floor above, but as Bell worked, he felt his limbs grow heavy and his breath laboured.

Not wanting to John to see him faltering and tired, Bell forced himself to move faster to gather the Magic Stones, finishing just as John took care of his own group.

"Kid?" You okay?" John's gruff voice made Bell look up to the older Adventurer and he hurriedly nodded his head, ignoring the heavy feeling in his limbs.

"I-I'm fine," Bell told the smallest of white lies to John who simply frowned, but thankfully nodded at Bell's reassurance.

With the Magic Stones gathered, the two Adventurers of the Hestia Familia set off once again, deeper into the belly of the Dungeon.

The silence around the two was thick with tension. As if he never handed John the backpack in the first place, Bell found himself straining just not to buckle under the imaginary pressure.

Maybe it was because this was the deepest he's ever been. Maybe it was because of the memory of the Minotaur or maybe it was because of John's silence, but Bell couldn't find the words to break the tension that had enveloped the both of them.

It was a stark contrast on the Upper Floors. That is not to say that there wasn't tension, but up there, it wasn't suffocating. Here, he could barely breathe

And yet John strode on. Taking the lead in front, John walked as if seeking something in the Dungeon far beyond what Bell could see.

It frustrated the young Adventurer to no end and he didn't know what to do. So he followed as the Dungeon tried to stop them.

The battles felt as if they became longer and longer for Bell. Each monster he killed put up just that bit more of a fight. What would require a single stroke of his knife became two which became four and finally became six, the knife in his hand like a lead brick.

It was inevitable that Bell finally became too slow. They hadn't rest for their

The rock wall he was thrown against bit deep into his back and a grunt of pain escaped his lips. His ribs yelled out in throbbing pain and his ears rung with a high pitched tone.

The Goblin that knocked him down to the ground almost seemed to loom over him despite its size. Bell threw up his unarmoured arms to protect himself as the Goblin launched itself at him, claws at the ready.

Ignoring the throbbing pain and the low pitching ring in his ears, Bell threw himself to the side, deftly dodging the fatal blow. With a wrench of his limbs, he brought the Goblin to its knees by shoving his knife deep into its thigh, warm blood covering his dirty hand. When he removed it, he barely managed to slit the Goblin's throat before it tried to lunge and bite out his throat in turn.

"Bell!"

The sudden yell from John made Bell's head snap, just in time to see John try to run over to Bell to help him.

And in return, a rabid Kobold jumped up on his back, clawing and biting at his neck. For a moment, Bell's heart stopped at the sight of almost certain death.

But John, as if unconcerned about the dog-man on his back, snarled and swore loudly. John threw himself at the wall, slamming the Kobold on the stone walls of the Dungeon. The monster let out a yelp of pain but still held on.

Reaching behind him, John's snarl turned furious as he had to drop his mace on the ground. With both of his hands free, John grabbed the monstrous Kobold and tore it from his back, slamming it on the ground.

With a stomp, his foot landed on the Kobolds throat, an awful choking noise coming from the monster.

Unable to move from his spot, John held up his shield as a Goblin tried to charge at him, deflecting the blow. The sound of more monsters could be heard, just behind John.

By that point, Bell was already on his feet and moving, the pain wracking his body overtaken by worry.

"**Earth Spikes!"**

Spearheads of stone ripped themselves from the Dungeon walls, flying towards the group of monsters and felling four of them, though the roars and snarls of monsters could still be heard approaching.

"John!"

"Thanks, kid!"

Having rushed to John, he scooped up his bloody mace and threw it at him. Almost fumbling the catch, John managed to grab it barely and removed his firmly planted foot from the Kobold's throat. It lept up, only for its skull to be caved in.

Having turned the tide, Bell and John managed to dispatch the rest of the monsters, made even easier by the fact that John became far more liberal with the use of his spells. In a matter of moments, what would've become a deadly scenario was reversed.

When it was over, Bell's legs gave way from under him. Exhaustion had more than caught up to him by now and he couldn't take a single step forward, despite how much he wanted to.

"Bell, are you okay? You took a pretty nasty hit back there," John had knelt down, looking over Bell, dropping his mace to the ground and looking over him with worried eyes.

"It's f-fine, John," Bell lied badly to such an extent that he even he knew it was a poor lie, but he still pressed on, "I can still keep going."

John sighed, unconvinced and without a word, placed his hand just above Bell's head.

"**Soothing Waters."**

Bell sucked in air when the bone-chilling waters splashed over him, quickly replacing the dull throbbing in his head. The dried and wet blood that covered him disappeared into nothing along with his pain and injuries.

"Rest here for a minute, kid. I'll get the stones."

Bell wanted to object, but John had already stood up. He even tried to stand up, but John simply spoke once more:

"Kid, I'm serious. A concussion is no joke and my magic isn't that good. Just take five, will ya?"

"...Okay."

With a mix of relief and shame, Bell took the time to rest, no longer in pain thanks to John's healing magic. With a frown, he touched the once wet parts of his clothes as if expecting them to still be cold.

John said his magic was weak compared to other mages and while Bell had no other frame of reference to compare, he felt that John was being too hard on himself.

Two spells, one even made stronger by his Skill and one that could wipe out a group of monsters and a healing spell that seemingly was able to heal most injuries on the fly.

Had John used his spells more often, most of the fights they had fought today would've been ended easily but John himself said he didn't want to rely on his spells. He wanted Bell to gather excellia and wanted to conserve his 'Mind' so he could heal if need be.

Bell was thankful for that, in part. But now Bell had to face the truth:

Bell was holding John back.

Even now, he was the one resting while John was the one working. In the time they had been here, it was Bell who had to be healed more and more while John never healed himself. He never got injured, even when that Kobold leapt onto his back.

He never got tired, no matter how much he fought. He never looked like he was in need of a break and Bell didn't want to be more of a burden he already was, so he tried to keep up with John through it all.

He was willing to go through it all. But his body could not keep up any longer.

To him, it was nothing short of humiliating.

"That's all of it," John suddenly spoke up, placing the Magic Stones in the bulging backpack and made his way to Bell.

"Don't be so down in the dumps, kid. For our first time together, I feel as if we did pretty good," John's voice made Bell look up and he saw the older Adventurer holding out his hand to him, a cocked smile on his lips.

"Shit happens, Bell. Just have to grin and bear sometimes."

Bell found himself smiling embarrassedly at John, taking his outstretched hand to pull himself up, "John, you shouldn't swear so much. It's not really...polite?"

"Swearing is great. I can sum up whole situations in just a word," John defended himself and Bell couldn't find it in himself to disagree despite wanting to, "But don't worry, I won't swear around Hestia. Hearing swears coming out of her mouth would give me a heart attack."

Bell laughed at the thought, standing on shaky legs as John pulled him up to his feet.

"...We've done good work today, kid. Let's head home, alright?"

There was something in the way John said those words that made Bell frown, "I can keep going-"

"Absolutely not," John said swiftly and decisively, his smile wiped out and replaced with a grim look before it softened.

"Look, Bell. We did good work today, really. Being greedy is good and all, but if you don't learn to temper that, you'll just end up getting hurt."

Like what happened, Bell thought to himself.

With that said, Bell gave a nod filled with slight shame but mostly relief and the two Familia members started to make their way back.

The silence wasn't like before. Rather than a natural, somewhat awkward yet comfortable silence between the two, it was heavy. Repressive.

Bell didn't know what the cause was nor how it even became like this. It wasn't until they got to the passageway leading up to the Fourth Floor that it came to a head.

Bell started walking up until he noticed something out of place.

He looked behind to see John, stopped in place. A foot was planted on the stairway leading up, but he had turned around to look behind him. His face was hidden as he looked down the hallway they just walked from.

"Hey, Bell," John says slowly and purposefully, turning to look at Bell with a blank expression, "How about you head on without me?"

"What?"

"Other Adventurers have probably cleared out the Floors above, so I doubt it'll be dangerous," John carried on as if he didn't hear Bell, "But you know, just to be sure we hit our goal, I think I'll spend some time down here."

Without waiting for Bell to respond, John took the backpack off and handed it to Bell who dumbly took as he looked at John with wide eyes, his mouth hanging open as thoughts ran through his head.

John flashed Bell a smile that didn't reach his eyes, "Don't worry about me, kid. I'll be fine."

Unable to push through John's forceful words, Bell could only ask him one thing:

"Are you sure?" He asked uncertainly, unable to keep the apprehension out of his voice and words.

"I am," John said and Bell knew he couldn't do anything to actually stop John.

"Well...if you say so," Bell tried to keep his words steady as he grabbed the bulging backpack from John, shuffling it as he tried to ignore the spine-bending weight.

"Take care, kid."

Bell gave a solemn nod to John and with that, John turned and started to walk away. Bell couldn't find it himself to move up the stairs and as the seconds ticked away, the more and more the situation seemed...unfair to him.

"John," Bell called out and the older Adventurer looked behind him to see Bell biting his lip and his ruby-red eyes staring right through him.

"Be careful. Please?"

Bell didn't know what else to say or do. He knew he had to do something, but the words that came out sounded hollow and weak to his ears.

"Always am, Bell. See you topside."

And with those words, John didn't even look back to see that Bell didn't move from his spot until he was out of view.

And at that moment, Bell felt as if he had made a terrible, terrible mistake.

.

.

* * *

**Sorry that this is so short and it took so long. I was planning for this to be like 17k words at least but before I realised it 2 god damn months had already passed me by and this seemed like a good point/cliff hanger to leave on.**

**When the world is literally on fire, time sure does fly by fast. **

**The reason for this taking so long is that, for me at least, quarantine is over and I'm now back at work, more or less full time. Have to wear masks and gloves, but I'm just thankful I still have a job.**

**The world is currently on fucking fire, but hey, I still got the time to write. So that's something. **

**For this chapter, I don't think there is a whole lot to say except that I really enjoy writing about fighting as you could probably see. It's just one of those things that I find really enjoyable to write. You could consider this chapter and the next a bit of insight into the SI's character and how they seem to other people in Danmachi. **

**Also, a bit of a non-sequitur, but I would just like to say beforehand, Self Inserts are fucking weird man. I thought writing one would be easy, but it's actually surprisingly difficult. It almost feels like I'm exposing myself. Add on to that fact, this doesn't really qualify as a Self Insert, really. **

**If I was Self Inserted in Danmachi and had the Gamer shit, I would spend the rest of my time selling Soothing Water Bottles for money, not actually risking my life in the Dungeon. But that doesn't make for a good story nor an enjoyable one, at least to me. A story about selling literal gamer water (yes I know the meme) sounds more like an omake or something. If you guys read the DxD Fic and this one, both Self Inserts, I wager you'd find it hard-pressed to find them to actually be the same type of character. **

**That little rant over and done with, I'm gonna stop before bloating the word count even more. ****I'm hoping to make my next update longer and not take two months, but I make no promises. **

**See ya guys later.**


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